Paestum was founded in 600 B.C. by
Greeks. It was originally named Poseidonia for the Greek sea god Poseidon.
Despite the name the patron god of the city was Hera, the goddess of fertility.
This coincided with the fertility of the surrounding land and the importance of
farming in the area.
Near
the end of the 5th century B.C. the town came under control of the
Lucanians, a native group that lived nearby. They renamed the town Paistom and
when the Romans conquered the town in 273 B.C. they changed the name to
Paestom, which is the Latin equivalent. This conquest brought a lot of change
to the city including new Roman architecture and a new Roman forum to replace
the Greek agora. On example of this change can be seen in the remains of the
towns Heroon. This was a temple dedicated to a hero, most likely the founder of
the town, and was filled with things associated with the hero Hercules. When
the Romans took control of the town they completely buried the building and all
of its contents.
The
city began to decline in the 4th century A.D. when the marshes began
to sneak closer to the town due to the deforestation taking place in the
region. This new marshy land was a good place for malaria to spread and, as a
result, the town center was moved from the south of town to the north in the
Temple of Athena.
In
the 5th century A.D. the first Christian basilica was built in the
town, the remains of which can still be seen. It is likely that the temple of
Athena was also converted into a Christian church
Between
the malaria and then attacks from Saracenes, the city of Paestom was abandoned
sometime in the 9th century.
The
first temple to be built in Paestum was the Hearion. It was built around 570
B.C. and contains hints of its origin coming from Jason and the Argonauts. This
temple is now nearly destroyed and unrecognizable. The three main temples that
are still standing are all from a later period. The Temple of Hera was built in
550 B.C. When it was first unearthed it was mistakenly called “the Basilica.”
The temple next to the Temple of Hera is the Temple of Neptune, although now
there is some debate about it really being a temple dedicated to Apollo. This
temple was built around 500 B.C. The last temple still standing in Paestum is
the Temple of Athena. It is set apart from the others in the north of the city.
It was built around 450 B.C. (coinciding with the building of the Parthenon in
Athens). These three freestanding temples are the best preserved Doric temples
in the world.
Besides
the temples the town still has evidence of many structures. These include a
Roman forum, a city pool, and a wall that enclosed the city and is 4750 meters
long. Outside the city walls are the remains of the Necropolis. Here can be
found some extremely well preserved Greek tomb paintings. The most famous of
these paintings is the Tuffatore or “diver” which can still be seen on display
in the Paestum museum. This image of a man diving into the water is one of many
from the same tomb that shows the transition from life into death.
I
wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when visiting Paestum. Would the site be
much different from the ancient Roman remains that we had been looking at? When
we got to the site I was amazed. Here are the best standing examples of Doric
temples in the world, and they are here in Italy for us to see. I really
enjoyed seeing the temples and comparing them to the examples of Roman temples
that we had already seen. It was a great way to end the class!
~ Hannah Strey
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