PAESTUM, AN ACIENT GREEK CITY IN CAMPANIA, ITALY

 Paestum is an ancient Greek city located in the region of Campania in the south of Italy.   We were able to visit Paestum while on our trip to Santa Maria Castellabate.  It is about a thirty minute drive from Castellabate.  The city dates back to the sixth century B.C.  The Greeks built the city as kind of a fortress away from the sea for protection.  Today the modern city of Paestum is located on the sea and is noted for its long sandy beaches. The ancient city was eventually conquered by the Romans around 273 B.C.  The original Greek name of the city was Poseidona (Poseidon), but the Romans latinized it to Paestum.

I am not sure if you can read this plaque.  Perhaps you can enlarge it so it is more readable.  It is a short history of the ancient city.  For those history buffs, you can go to www.sacred-destinations.com/Italy/Paestum-temples.  You might have to copy and paste this if you can't click on it.  The site gives you a good history of the area.  By the 9th century A.D. the land became swampy.  Malaria and raids from other Roman groups caused a decline in population and the city was eventually overtaken by forest.  It remained hidden until the 18th Century when the city was re-discovered during the building of a road.  Since then much of it has been exposed, yet there is still more excavation going on although some of it is on private property.

 The next few pictures are of some of the artifacts that were discovered at the site.  They have been preserved and are now located in a museum located on the property.  As you can see they are in glass cases and well preserved.  Their work was quite intricate.  I am not sure how extensive the restoration was of these items, but as you can see they are in good condition.  You can be sure of one thing, I was not going to touch anything in that museum.  I heard the story of someone while doing some construction near the site inadvertently covered some of the protected area with dirt.  He is now in jail.   

MORE ARTIFACTS

ANOTHER URN

There are three notable temples located in ancient Paestum.  This one is the temple of Athena dating back to 500 B.C.  Athena is the Greek goddess of war and wisdom.  She is also credited with inventing the chariot.  She also built the first ship.  It is hard to believe that this temple is over 2500 years old.  What is more amazing is that a structure of this magnitude can be build without the benefit of the equipment we have today.

This is known as the house with a cistern inside the house.  Here you see the cistern and the foundation of the house.  As you walk on the paths and former streets of Paestum you can see several foundations of the many dwellings that made up the city.

Here you can see more of the foundations.  In the background is a view on another of the temples.  This one was dedicated to Hera the wife of Zeus.  She is considered the queen of the gods.  It is said that she took revenge on all of the girlfriends of Zeus and his illegitimate children.  When the Romans conquered the city these temples were turned into churches.

Here is another foundation.  I am not sure what that tent-like structure is in the middle of the foundation.  I am sure I was told at the time I saw it, but you know how that goes, I just can't remember.  The entire area is quite large.  We walked most of it, but unlike most attractions in the U.S. there were no signs telling you want you were looking at.  You could pay for a guided tour but they were very expensive.  We rented an audio for five euros but it was difficult to understand and very long winded.

Hey, guess what!!  Even in those days they had a bocce court. After all, you're in Italy.  Hello!  Looks kind of short but the people were much smaller back then.  Maybe it is something else, but it sure looks like a bocce court to me.

Here is an artist rendering of what a section of the city might have looked like 2500 years ago.  This is just a small section of the city showing the amphitheater, stables, and several official buildings.  I don't know about you, but to me it is hard to imagine that structures of this magnitude could be built 2500 years ago.

This is the temple of Neptune.  It dates back to 450 B.C.  It is the most complete of the three temples.  Everything is intact except the walls and the interior parts.  There are two alters inside the temple, one it is said, was built by the Romans.  You are not allowed inside any of the temples.  As you can see in this picture, the temples are surrounded by a fence so you can only get to within perhaps fifty or so feet from the structure.

SIDE VIEW OF THE TEMPLE

CLOSE UP VIEW OF THE COLUMNS

To the left of this picture is the temple of Neptune and on the right is a second temple to the goddess Hera wife of Zeus.  Outside of the archaeological site are several shops and restaurants.  Of course the shops have many typical souvenirs  you would find at any tourist attractions.

ANOTHER VIEW OF NEPTUNE

Here is a fresco found in the "Tomb of the Swimmer".  This was found in 1968 on the ceiling of the tomb located about 1.5 kilometers south of the city.  If you remember from another blog I did last Spring, people were buried away from an ancient city for health reasons.  This fresco dates back to around 470 B.C.  My next blog will have several pictures of the ruins of Pompeii and if you don't know what Mozzarella di Bufula is, I will show you how they make it.  Let me tell you from experience, it is yummy.  Hope you get to try the real thing some day.  Stay tuned.