 |
PAESTUM
The temple of Hera, built
around 550 BC by Greek colonists,
is the oldest surviving temple
in Paestum. Eighteenth-century
archaeologists named it "The
Basilica" because they
mistakenly believed it to be a
Roman building. A basilica in
Roman times was a civil
building, not a religious one.
Inscriptions revealed that the
goddess worshiped here was Hera.
Later, an altar was unearthed in
front of the temple, in the
open-air site usual for a Greek
altar; the faithful could attend
rites and sacrifices without
entering the cella.
<<Back to
excursions |
