Temple of Ceres, Paestum, Italy


Date
4th Century BCE
Description
Paestum was established by Greek colonists from Sybaris. The city was conquered by the Lucanians, a local tribe, around 400 BCE. In 273 BCE it was overtaken by the Romans but only began its decline towards the end of the Empire due to malaria. Its baseless Doric temples are significant because their discovery in the mid-18th century inspired the Greek Revival. The temple is of the Doric order, measuring about 33 by 14.5 meters. The temple is peripteral, hexastyle with 6 by 13 columns. The travertine blocks forming the frieze are elongated, with alternating metopes and vertical grooves where separately carved sandstone triglyphs have been inserted. The Archivision Collection of Ancient Sites was funded by the Jack Martin Balcer Library Endowment. Keywords: Italy, Salerno, Paestum, mainland, poseidonia, sanctuary, Ancient Greek, Mediterranean.
Style/Period
Greek
Source
Espouy, H. d'. (1905). Fragments d?architecture antique d?apres les releves & restaurations des anciens pensionnaires de l?Academie de France a Rome; publies sous la direction de H. d?Espouy. (Vol. 2). Paris: C. Schmid. Plate 6