Paestum is an ancient city of Magna Graecia, originally called Poseidonia by the Greeks in honor of Poseidon, but also devoted to the goddesses Athena and Hera. After its conquest by the Romans, the name was changed to the one known today, that is, precisely Paestum. It is located south of Salerno, 97 km from Naples, in the Piana del Sele (the plain crossed by the river of the same name), near the splendid coastline that marks the end of the Gulf of Salerno and the beginning of the Cilento area.
Paestum is also known for the beauty of its long coastline, characterized by a long sandy beach, in contrast with the Amalfi coast.
The temple dedicated to Poseidon of Paestum
The Valley of the Temples of Paestum has 3 structures. They are the temple of Poseidon, that of Athena and that of Hera. The Temple of Poseidon (also called the Temple of Neptune), the king of the seas and brother of Zeus, is one of the most significant legacies of Magna Graecia on Italian soil, together with the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, built around the middle of the 5th century BC (444-440 BC).
Today the temple has an extraordinarily intact architecture, which makes it one of the best preserved Greek temples ever. The excellent state of conservation, which characterizes all three structures of the valley of the temples of Paestum, is certainly also due to the state of centuries-old abandonment of the site. The temple is an imposing hexastyle peripteral (with six columns on the two fronts) of the Doric order. The building is oriented towards the east, in a position practically parallel to the other two Greek temples of Poseidonia. It is faced by two altars, one from the Greek era, the other from the Roman era.
The oldest of the three and also the best preserved, is called “the Basilica“. Findings of materials and inscriptions suggest that the structure was dedicated to Hera, goddess of the harvest, protector of the Achaeans and wife of Zeus.
The Temple of Athena is the only temple of which we know with absolute certainty to which deity it was dedicated. Athena was the goddess of wisdom, craftsmanship and war, born from the head of Zeus, of whom she was the favorite daughter. Located on the highest point of the city, north of the public spaces, the temple of the protective and warrior goddess dominated the area.
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