Posidonia

Poseidonia, later Paestum

A city beside the west coast of Italy, at the northern extremity of Lucania (now southeastern Campania), seven hundred and fifty yards behind the Bay of Salernum (Salerno). The site was inhabited in Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic times. According to Strabo, the Greek town was founded by colonists from Sybaris (Sibari) in southeastern Italy; pottery finds suggest a date of c 625–600 BC. Their settlement succeeded an earlier fort by the sea, perhaps at Agropoli four miles to the south.

Posidonia was Sybaris' most important colony, but to judge from its coinage, it did not depend on the mother city very closely. When, however, Sybaris was destroyed (510), many of the survivors apparently took refuge in Posidonia. Its favorable position for trading, together with the fertility of the surrounding plain of the Silarus (Sele), brought considerable prosperity until the Lucanians, coming down from the hills in the hinterland, captured the city, which they renamed Paiston (Paestum). After a brief period of liberation by the invading King Alexander I the Molossian (from Epirus, 332–326), the Romans established a Latin colony (i.e. including settlers drawn from other Latin peoples as well as from Rome), in order to watch over recent and potential enemies and guard the vulnerable coastline.

During the Second Punic War Paestum vigorously resisted Hannibal. A municipium, like other Italian communities, since 90/89 BC, it was unique among them because of its issue of an abundant local bronze coinage under Augustus (31 BC–AD 14) and Tiberius (AD 14–37). It has been suggested that some of these pieces could refer to the elevation of the city to the rank of Roman colony, although this interpretation has been questioned. However, an inscription does confirm that Paestum attained or renewed this status in cAD 71, when it received, at the hands of Vespasian, a settlement of former sailors from the fleet at Misenum. However, Paestum was not destined for a prosperous future. Strabo already noted the silting up of the Silarus, and the site gradually became more and more unhealthy and malarial. During the Middle Ages a few Christians were worshipping in the ruins, but thereafter all traces of Paestum were obliterated by woods and swamps.

Still standing, however, beside the ancient habitation center is one of the most impressive groups of Doric temples from the ancient world. The southern-most of these shrines is the so-called `Basilica’ (c 550 BC), which was, it is now believed, a temple dedicated to Zeus and Hera. Adjoining it is the `Temple of Poseidon’ (c 450?), in reality another shrine of Hera or Zeus, one of the best-preserved of all Greek religious buildings (remains of other, smaller temples of Hera are to be seen nearby). To the north stands a building of c 500 known as the `Temple of Ceres’ although, to judge from finds of clay statuettes, it was dedicated to another goddess Athena (and in medieval times to the Virgin Mary). These two precincts, of Hera and Athena, flank the agora, which later became the Roman forum. It was adjoined by a Capitolium, the local senate house, baths, a gymnasium, and a small amphitheater; a larger counterpart is to be seen nearby. The city was surrounded by impressive Greek, Lucanian and Roman walls, of which large portions survive; they were equipped with round and square towers and a bridged moat. The street of the Roman city leading from north to south, the cardo maximus, replaced the Greek Sacred Way. Beside the street is an underground shrine (hypogeum) of Hera (c 500).

Excavations have now been resumed on an extramural sanctuary at the Località Santa Veneria, probably dedicated to the Roman Good Goddess (Bona Dea). An adjacent rectangular hall, originally constructed c 400 (and later fronted by a cultic basin), has also come to light, and the development of the city toward the south can be reconstructed. A necropolis in this direction included the `Tomb of the Diver,’ named after a remarkable wall painting of early fifth-century date (and perhaps Etruscan affinities) which is now in the local museum. It also contains a rich variety of fourth-century paintings (some from lately uncovered tombs), and many important vases.

In the same museum are extensive reliefs, of the early and late sixth century BC, from temples of the famous sanctuary of Argive Hera, seven and a half miles from the city at the mouth of the Silarus (Foce di Sele), where a settlement preceding Posidonia had existed (according to pottery finds) from before 600.