Paestum Archaeological Site
Located south-east of the Gulf of Salerno, in the southern part of the Piana del Sele, Paestum is an extremely important archaeological site, recognized by UNESCO World Heritage, together with Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano.
The site is located in the Municipality of Carpaccio in Provincia di Salerno. Founded by the Greeks around the 7th century. B.C. Under the name of Poseidonia, Paestum was subsequently occupied by the Lucani until, in 273 BC, Rome made a flourishing colony, giving it its present name.
The beginning of the Middle Ages marked its irreversible decline.
In addition to cultural value, Paestum’s importance is linked to the excellent state of preservation of the goods, beginning with the walls of the walls, built by the Greeks and then reinforced by the Lucani and the Romans.
What strikes most is the vision of three majestic temples in a green plain that reflect a different light depending on the hours and seasons.
Many writers, poets and artists such as Goethe, Shelley, Canova and Piranesi have been fascinated by this spectacle which turned out to be their source of inspiration.
These large buildings form an extraordinary example of Doric style.
The Temple of Hera, dating back to VI century. A.C., is the oldest.
The Temple of Neptune (V century BC) is a magnificent travertine building with a warm golden color that varies in shades of the day. It is a true jewel of Dorian architecture: majestic and at the same time elegant.
The Temple of Ceres (VI century BC), actually devoted to the Athena goddess, was transformed into a church in medieval times and guarded three Christian tombs on the outer wall.
In the summer, a night walk in this magnificent setting, with music and lights that enliven the tour, offers the chance to immerse yourself in a unique atmosphere, among the works of the great civilizations of the past.
Historical facts about the city of Paestum
Founded by the Greeks around 600 BC, it was first called Poseidonia, Poseidon, or Neptune, god of the sea, to which the city was dedicated. Between 400 and 273 BC was occupied by the Italic population of the Lucanese. In 273 it became a Roman colony named Paestum. But it is beyond doubt that the foundation of the city was preceded by the establishment of a commercial farm on the left bank and at the mouth of the river Silaros and that the malarial conditions of the land then induced the primitive settlers to move the town to the east, to a bench Limestone slightly elevated on the plain and on the coast, along the course of another river minus (river Salso or Capofiume). From the primitive plant on Silaros developed the seaport and river port of the city, and the Temple of Era Argiva, which soon became one of the largest and most venerated sanctuaries in ancient Italy, was built around 50 stages separating the city from Heraion and His emporium on the river. The end of the Roman Empire coincided with the end of the city. Towards the 500th E.V, in fact, as a result of a malaria epidemic, aggravated by the insolubility of the territory, the inhabitants gradually abandoned the city. The rediscovery of Paestum dates back to 1762, when the modern road that still traverses it was built.
The origins of paestum and major historical events
The most important Greek colonies in the Mediterranean were those founded in Asia Minor and Magna Greece, a term that indicates the whole of the Greek-founded cities in southern Italy and Sicily, one of which was Paestum. Paestum’s Motherland was Sibari, founded in 720 a.E.V. From Aches and Trees, which were therefore called sibari. The latter were famous for wealth, luxury, and pride. The historian Diodoro Siculo of the I century. A.E.V., wrote that ‘the sibari were belly slaves and lovers of luxury’. Stradone, a Greek geographer who lived between the ages of 60 and 20, says that the Siberians had created a fortified settlement near the mouth of the River Sele, extending their influence over neighboring territories. We ride between the 7th and 6th centuries. The foundation of the city was needed for the Sibarites to open a commercial route between the Ionian and the Tyrrhenian Sea through the Apennine ridge, avoiding the circumnavigation of the Calabrian coast and the Strait of Messina. The colony, located at one point Strategic, at the center of the crossroads of the trade routes between the Ionian basin and the Italian regions, was called Poseidonia in honor of Poseidon, god of the sea. It was in 510 BC, following the destruction of Sibari by Crotones, when many Siberians fled to Poseidonia with their riches, their experience and their spirit of enterprise, that the city reached a high level of economic and political power. At this time the construction of the three temples known as the Basilica, the Temple of Poseidon and the Temple of Ceres dates back to the only Greek fresco so far discovered in the Diver’s Tomb. In the 5th century BC, the Lucani, Italian people, began to infiltrate the colony, leaving numerous testimonies of their influence in frescoed tombs according to the Greek masters’ model. At the end of the fourth century, allied with the bullets, they supported a long struggle against the Greeks for the domination of the new territories towards the sea, which ended with the reaffirmation of their supremacy over the city. In 273 a.E.V. The Romans occupied Poseidonia, who thus became the faithful Roman Paestum, which proved to be close to Rome even in the most dramatic moments of its history. During the Roman period, in the 3rd century, economic and cultural activities flourished again: new public buildings such as the amphitheater, the hole and the gymnasium were emerging, which contributed to the city giving the look that the excavations brought to light. Among the factors that led to the decline of Paestum, the creation of new ways for trade in the East, which ended to irretrievably isolate the city from the main trade routes, and the malaria epidemic of the ninth century, coupled with the raids of Saracen pirates, Which forced the pestani to take refuge in the mountains, and to leave the ancient Poseidonia.
XIX Edition Mediterranean Stock Market of Archaeological Tourism
Paestum, 27 – 28 – 29 – 30 October 2016
The Mediterranean Exchange of Archaeological Tourism confirms an original event of its kind: the site of the one of the only ArcheoVirtual exhibitions in the world of ArcheoVirtual, the innovative international exhibition of multimedia, interactive and virtual technologies; A place of deepening and dissemination of themes dedicated to cultural tourism and heritage; A meeting opportunity for job seekers, tourist and cultural operators, travelers, enthusiasts; Business opportunities in the charming location of the Archaeological Museum with the Workshop between the foreign demand selected by Enit and the offer of cultural and archaeological tourism.
Hours and rates
Paestum Archaeological Area and Paestum National Archaeological Museum
Starting from 1 March 2016, the Paestum Archaeological Park extends its visit time to allow greater use of temples and more responsive to the needs of the public.
