Selinunt. Die punischen Häuser (original) (raw)

The Greek colony of Selinus was destroyed by Carthaginian forces in 409 B.C. and consequently fell under Punic sovereignty. In the last quarter of the fourth century B.C., a Punic city was creat- ed in the ruins of the former settlement, and was in turn abandoned by 250 B.C. The Punic town’s appearance differed greatly from that of the regularly planned Greek city, houses being built over the former temenos. The urban area was characterised by open spaces with irregular borders, the gaps left between structures resulting in angled and winding streets. Temple C formed an urban centre surrounded by shops. The Selinuntine dwellings of the Punic period can be divided into four different types: 1 – the four-zone house; 2 – the corridor-courtyard house; 3 – the house with a courtyard in one corner; 4 – the house with a square central courtyard. While the ancestry of the type 1 house can be traced back to the Levant, the typologically earlier type 2 dwelling is linked especially to western Punic contexts. The other two house types were probably also derived from the three- and four-zone houses of the Levant coast. All the Selinuntine houses of the Punic peri- od had interior courtyards, and were characterised by restricted access from the exterior and easy accessibility of interior spaces. The dwellings served as a living space for family units which man- ufactured many of the products required for daily life. In spite of the cramped urban layout, the houses’ courtyards offered adequate space for domestic activities. In my opinion, the only houses likely to have had roofed central spaces are those which resemble the four-zone house in plan, but might have served as covered storage spaces given the width of the walls, their interior structure and installations.