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Paestum is the classical Roman name of a major Graeco-Roman city in the Campania region of Italy. It is located near the coast about 85 km SE of Naples in the province of Salerno and belongs to the comune of Capaccio.
History
Founded around the start of the 7th century BCE by Greek colonists, and originally known as Poseidonia, it later became the Roman city of Paestum in 273 BCE after the Graeco-Italian Poseidonians sided with the loser, Pyrrhus, in war against Rome during the first quarter of the 3rd century BCE.
The city remained in continuous occupation throughout the Roman imperial period, but started to go into decline between the 4th and 7th centuries. It was abandoned during the Middle Ages and its ruins only came to notice again in the 18th century, following the rediscovery of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The decline and desertion were probably due to changes in local land drainage patterns, leading to swampy malarial conditions (this is difficult to picture, with the present aridity; the site is now left to lizards and a few tourists).
Overview
The main features of the site today are the standing remains of three major temples in Doric style, dating from the first half of the 6th century BCE. These were dedicated to Hera, Apollo and Athena, although they have traditionally been identified as a basilica and temples of Neptune and Ceres, owing to 18th-century misattribution.
The site is surrounded by the ancient city walls, some of the gateways of which are still standing.
The town of Paestum, directly to the north of the archaeological site, is a popular coastal resort.
Historic buildings
The temple of Hera is the oldest surviving temple in Paestum, being built in around 550 BCE. 18th century archeologists named it "The Basilica" because they mistakenly believed it to be a Roman building. A basilica in Roman times was a civil building, not a religious one. Later, an altar was unearthed in front of the temple; it was situated externally so that the faithful, who were forbidden to enter the temple, could attend rites and sacrifices. Small terracotta offertory statues found around the altar establish the building as a temple dedicated to Hera.
The nearby temple, the temple of Apollo, was built in about 450 BCE. It has been in the past variously thought of as a temple dedicated to Poseidon or to Hera (Temple of Hera II). There are visible on the east side the remains of two altars, one large and one smaller. The smaller one is a Roman addition, built when they cut through the larger one to build a road to the forum. Again, offertory statues around the larger altar are used to demonstrate that Apollo was the patron of the temple.
In the cental part of the complex is the Roman Forum, thought to have been built on the site of the preceding Greek agora. On the north side of the forum is a small Roman temple, dated to around 200 BCE. It was dedicated to the Capitoline Triad, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.
To the nort-west of the forum is the amphitheatre. This is of normal Roman pattern, though much smaller than later examples. Only the southern half is visible; in 1930 AD, a road was built across the site, burying the northern half. It is said by local inhabitants that the civil engineer responsible was tried, convicted and received a prison sentence for what was described as wanton destruction of a historic site.
On the highest point of the town, some way from the other temples, is the temple of Athena. It was built in about 500 BCE, and was for some time incorrectly thought to have been dedicated to Ceres. The architecture is transitional, being partly Ionic in style and partly early Doric. Three mediaeval Christian tombs in the floor show that the temple was at one time used as a Christian church.
All three temples have undergone some renovation and repair in recent years. Close access is allowed, but entry by visitors into the buildings is no longer allowed.
References
- A.C. Carpiceci and L. Pennino, Paestum and Velia, Matonti, Salerno, 1995
External links
Ancient Greek cities | Roman sites of Campania | Achaean colonies of Magna Graecia | World Heritage Sites in Italy | 7th century BC establishments
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"Paestum"