The Şekerhane Köşkü at Selinus (Cilicia): The Temple of the Deified Trajan

In 117 CE the emperor Trajan died at Selinus (modern Gazipaşa, Turkey) while returning to Italy from the East. A building preserved among the ruins of the ancient city has been historically labeled as a cenotaph associated with the emperor’s death in the city. This structure has been identified as temple-like by the recent excavators, but continues to be called a cenotaph. This paper addresses the notion of this identification as a body-less mausoleum, and suggests that the structure served not only as a cult temple to the Deified Trajan, but also may mark the location of the ustrinum for Trajan’s funerary pyre.