Archaeologists uncover massive Greek city abandoned in ancient massacre

Archaeologists have begun an extensive excavation of the classical Greek city of Selinunte, in Sicily, where an attack by North African invaders 2,500 years ago turned the metropolis into a ghost town in a matter of hours. Hastily abandoned meals and unfired ceramics remain where they were deserted at the moment of the attack, making the city a kind of "Greek Pompeii" for researchers who are able to trace the remains back to a very small window of time, The Independent reports.

In the late 5th century BC, Carthaginian troops from modern day Tunisia massacred 16,000 residents of Selinunte and took more than 5,000 men and children as slaves, rendering the city abandoned in a short period of time. Archaeologists have discovered, for example, half-eaten meals in houses that were burnt by invaders and unfired pots and tiles that couldn't be put in the kiln before the attack. While further work is being done to determine where Selinunte shipped its pottery around the world, archaeologists already know much about the potters from the remains of their workshop and religious chapel, which was filled with working-class deities including Athena of the Workers, Artemis, Demeter, and Zeus.

What's more, because the site is nearly perfectly preserved, researchers have been able to identify 2,500 homes — previously, no one was quite sure how many houses were in a classical Greek city. Further research is being done to investigate the city's booming industry, where a manmade harbor attracted ships and trade from around the world.

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"Selinunte is the only classical Greek city where the entire metropolis is still preserved, mainly buried under sand and earth. It therefore gives us a unique opportunity to discover how an ancient Greek city functioned," Professor Martin Bentz, the director of the current excavation, said.