Page - 63 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

4 Water, Social SpaceandArchitecture atSelinous: theCaseof theUrbanSanctuary 63 Empedocles, the rivers and thenymph:memories of reclamationworksatSelinous? According toDiogenes Laertius, the philosopher Empedocles,who lived in the 5th century BC, endedaplaguecausedby thestench fromoneofSelinous’ rivers.Thephilosopherdiverted two different rivers inorder to sweeten thewater of the foetidone.After his action, the inhabitants of Selinous venerated Empedocles as a god.67 This story has numerous historical andhistorio- graphical problems, but describes technically feasible events fitting Selinous’ waterscape and history.68 Itmightberelatedto importantreclamationworksthat laterwereascribedtoEmpedo- cles, whowas themost famous philosopher and ‘scientist’ of the 5th century BC.69 Even if the textdoesnot specify thenameof themarshy river, thismightbe theCottone, to the east of the Acropolis. Itsmouth, indeed,was a very calm lagoon filledwith brackishwater – ideal condi- tions for stench andplagues. This lagoon silted up over time for natural reasons, but the har- bour built at its edgemight have accelerated the process.70Moreover, it is interesting to note that flood problems in the area in front of the eastern gates seem to have been solved in the EarlyClassical period.71 Somescholarshave tried toestablisha linkbetweenthestoryofEmpedoclesandthe icono- graphiesof tetradrachmsanddidadrachms issuedbySelinous, starting fromthe first quarterof the 5th centuryBC.72 On the obverse of the tetradrachms, the personification of the river Selinous performs a libation on an altar flanked by a rooster – an animal linkedwith chthonic and healing gods; the statue of a (domesticated?) bull stands on a base. The reverse depicts Apollo andArtemis ona cart. Thegoddessdrives the vehicle,whileher brother shoots anarrow (Fig.9a) The didadrachms show on the obverse the personification of river Hypsas73 performing a libationonanaltar,while a snake–again ananimal linkedwith chthonic andhealinggods– coilsonthestructure;behindtheriver,aheronoracrane–typicalbirdsof lagoonsandmarshy areas– leaves the scene.On the reverseHeracles tamesabull74 (Fig.9b). Even if personifications of rivers are commonamong issues fromother cities of Sicily and Magna Graecia,75 and in the case of Selinous their direct link with the Empedocles story is unlikely, thenumerouswater- andmarsh-relatedelements in thesecoinsduring the5th century BCare striking. The sameholds true also for otherwater-related iconographydepicted onSelinous’ drach- maeand litraeduring the samedecades. Thedrachmashows theheadof the river Selinouson the obverse and, on the reverse, the head of thewater nymph Eurymedousa, daughter of the river godAchelous.Awater bird standsbehind thenymph’shead (Fig.9c). 2007, 132f.).TheexistenceofPaianatSelinus is likelyconfirmedbytheso-calledGettyHexameters, inwhichPaian appears four times, interestingly associatedwith the termφάρμακα (Rutherford 2013). On the Getty Hexameters seeAntonetti 2018 (with extended literature). 67 Diog. Laert. 8, 69–71 (quotedbyMuccioli 2015, 261f.). 68 Muccioli 2015, 262–264. 69 Rambaldi 2010, 14. 70 Rabbel et al. 2014, 146. Rambaldi 2010, 16 claims, on historical considerations, that the river mentioned by Diogeneswas themodernCottone.According toMuccioli 2015, 264, the riverwas theSelinous (modernModione), because itwas the eponymous river of the city.Nevertheless, this conclusion is not sufficient. 71 Mertens 2003, 395f. 72 For the coins: Cutroni Tusa 2010, 159–162 figs. 2–3.On the link:Muccioli 2015, 265withprevious literature. 73 TheHypsas is identifedwith themodern riverBelice (a fewkilometres to the east of Selinous). 74 This iconography is usually related to one of Heracles’ labours, but, in this case, might refers also to the domesticationof a river–oftendepictedas abull. 75 Rambaldi 2010, 17.