The sixth volume of the Selinus series deals with the monumental altars of Selinunte, a Greek polis situated on the south-western coast of Sicily. The book shows that in regard of altars Selinunte is an extremely significant archaeological site. Usually Greek altars are poorly preserved and therefore little known; in the urban sanctuaries of Selinunte, by contrast, the remains of nine large altars from the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. can be identified.
The investigation is carried out with the methods of building archaeology: On the basis of detailed measurements and drawings the altars are analysed and graphically restored. Their dense chronological sequence allows to reconstruct the architectural development in Archaic and Classical times. It is argued that the evolution of altars starts with simple but large offering tables and leads to elaborately designed buildings, often decorated with the formal apparatus of the Doric order. In a comparative study, this line of evolution can be verified also for other Western Greek cities and sanctuaries, for example Agrigento, Syracuse, and Paestum. Special attention is paid to later modifications of altars that provide insight into the specific way in which they were used, so that questions of sacrifice and ritual practice can be discussed. With its holistic approach the book creates a comprehensive picture of the altars of the Greek West.