Temples in the Sacred Area of the Kothon at Motya and their Levantine prototypes: recent discoveries of Sapienza University of Rome

Excavations in the island of Motya, at the western tip of Sicily, by Sapienza University of Rome since 2002 have radically changed our knowledge of this Phoenician colony and its history. Cult places and temples found in the Sacred Area of the Kothon, over a time span of four centuries, have shown how deeply enrooted is the religious architectural tradition of “Western Phoenicians” into that of the homeland. This article provides examples of these relationships and suggests a twofold direction of cultural exchanges during the first millennium BC, the one between Phoenicia and Motya, the other relating to the Hellenic world, increasingly influential in Motya from the 6th century BC onwards.