Paestum
Paestum
Strabo told that Jason stopped at the mouth of the Sele River and founded a sanctuary dedicated to Hera (Juno). Mythology is a poetic interpretation of historical events and probably in the mid-seventh century B.C. the city of Sibaris founded a commercial center at the mouth of the Sele River, and also a sanctuary dedicated to Hera. A few years later, then came Poseidonia – the greek name of Paestum. In short, Poseidonia was founded in the seventh century B.C. into two distinct phases: the first settlement at the mouth of the Sele and shortly after the real town was in a better location. Later, during the fifth century B.C. the Samnites, a local population living in Campania, invaded the region and this towns. But in 273 B.C. the Romans managed to conquer “romanized” completely: his name became “Paestum”. However, during the first century A.D., an unexpected swamping the territory undermined the remarkable prosperity of the city, the waters of the Salso river, which flowed along the southern walls of the city center, flooded fields and the city itself. Probably the phenomenon was due to the fact that the pine area were very sought for the construction of the trees as a teacher of the vessels involved and this time the complete deforestation of the area. This “environmental disaster” in turn caused major upheavals in the eco-system and the enlargement of the Salty river. The phenomenon was unstoppable. The inhabitants of Paestum had to abandon their city and in time the whole area became a marshland. Over the centuries the city and its bell fell into oblivion. During the fifteenth century, when archeology became a subject of study, many scholars consulting ancient texts and they encountered numerous nods to the famous forgotten town with its splendid temples – but no one could find it. When the ruins of Paestum were ‘rediscovered’ by archaeologists, Johann Joachim Winckelmann in the fifties of the eighteenth century showed how the ruins of that city had given way to a general and enthusiastic appreciation of Greek art. Paestum is famous for its temples, generally recognized as among the best preserved. The three Paestum temples are the so-called “Basilica” (550 BC), the temples of “Neptune” (450 BC) and “Ceres” (500 BC) are all in Doric style. And like all Greek temples are oriented to the east side, so that the first rays of the sun can illuminate the facade of the building symbolically sacred.
