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Paestum, ancient city, southern Italy. Located on the Gulf of
Salerno (the ancient Bay of Paestum), the city was founded in the
6th century
BC
by Greek colonists from
Sybaris,
who called it Poseidonia. It was taken by the Lucanians, an
indigenous Italic people, in the 4th century
BC.
They ruled until 273
BC,
when the city was captured by the Romans. Deserted after its sack by
Muslim raiders in
AD
871, the abandoned site's remains were discovered in the 18th
century. It is known for its three Doric temples and its city walls
of travertine blocks.
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.
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