Page - 59 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

4 Water, Social SpaceandArchitecture atSelinous: theCaseof theUrbanSanctuary 59 with a solid coveringmade of marble, mortar or terracotta tiles was particularly suitable, as several examples inGreece testify.44 The extension of the temenos to the east is usually related to the need for an expanded sacrificial area in front of Temple C and its altar.45 Nevertheless, a comparison between the available space in the upper terrace during the first half of the 6th century BC and the later temenos expansion indicates that themain reasonmighthavebeendifferent (Figs. 2, 4). In Greek sanctuaries, the fundamental space for ritual actions was composed of two el- ements: the altar and thearea to thewest of it,wheremost of the ritual practices tookplace.46 The sacrifice (thysia) and the subsequent communalmeal had religious and social goals. The first was to reinforce the bonds between deities and the religious community, the second to regulate the social relations betweenactors andgroups of actors, and to strengthen the bonds amongst them.47 In Selinous’ urban sanctuary, there was already enough space to build the monumental TempleCand its altar during the first half of the6th centuryBC.Missing fromthe earlier sanctuary configuration was an appropriate space to allow larger groups of people to take part in sacrifices and perform social activities, thereby reinforcing community cohesion. This goal was achieved by the second half of the 6th century BC, thanks to the hall and large space in frontof it.Moreover, it is important tounderline that this space–specifically intended forpracticesdifferent from the sacrifice–waseven larger than that to thewest of it,where the sacrifice itselfwasperformed. On the basis of several literary and iconographic sources about Greek rituals,48waterwas used in the sacrificial space towash the hands of the officiants and sprinkle the animals, the participants and the altar.49 It seems, therefore, that water acted in the sacrificial space as a sort of trait d’unionamongall theactors involved in the sacrifice, turning themfroman impure to apure status.50 Wemight assume that this holds true also for the space in front of TempleC.Water drawn from the circularwell in front of the two-winged hall, andmaybe also from the fountain next to thenortheast entrance,mighthavebeenused toperform these actions.51 Water likelywas also used inside the two-wingedhall and in front of it, during ritual and socialactivities important forcommunitycohesion.Here,perhaps, theagencyofwaterchanged physically and symbolically the status (impure/pure; unclean/clean) of actors and space. If these were the cases, water might have been one of the (non-human) agents acting in those religiousandcivic rituals (sacrificingandfeasting) thatcreatedasharedsenseofcommu- nity and togetherness. This association between community and lustral water in public space seems tobe confirmedalsoby literary sourcesbywayof contrast: thosewhowere impure and consequently not communitymembers were kept away from lustral water collected in public spaces and/orused for sacred rituals.52 44 Roux 1973, 552–554;Kuhn 1985, 240. 264. 45 DiVita 198, 34. 48;Østby 1995, 88;Mertens 2006, 187;Marconi 2007, 72. 46 Sassu 2017, 197 (withother references). 47 Sassu 2017, 191. 48 Ginouvès 1962, 299–318;Burkert 1977, 101–108;vanStraten1995, 31–49 figs. 30–53;Gebauer 2002, 213. 246–252; ThesCRA I (2004) 65–67. 116 s.v. Sacrifices (A.Hermary–M.Leguilloux). ThesCRA II (2004) 23f. 26f. s.v. Purifica- zione,Gr. (O. Paoletti). 49 In Greek sacrifice, a specific kind of vessel (chérnips) usually contained the lustral water intended for these ritual actions. On the instruments for ritual cleaningwithwater: ThesCRAV (2005) 165–183 s.v. Kultinstrumente (I. Krauskopf). 50 On the cathartic power ofwater used in sacrifices, see: Ginouvès 1962, 316f.; Burkert 1977, 132–134. Rudhardt 1992, 173f. argues that thewater of thepre-sacrificial rituals hada ‘qualité religieusepositive’ andwas ‘chargéde puissance’. 51 On the importanceof undergroundwater for ritual activities, seen.21. 52 Ginouvès 1962, 313: in theEumenidesbyAeschylus (458BC),Orestes–murdererofhismother–cannot touch the lustralwaterusedby thephratria for the sacrifices. In twodifferent orationsofAeschines (‘AgainstKtesiphon’ and ‘Against Timarchus’), people not allowed to enter the Agora were kept away from perirrhanteria. For other