Temple of Athena
Dublin Core
Title
Temple of Athena
Description
Location: Paestum
Date: c. 500 BC
Details: This archaic Greek temple was built in the Greek colony of Poseidonia (later called Paestum), which was probably established in southern Italy around 600 BC. The remains are one of the oldest standing structures in Paestum's ruins.
It was originally believed to be a temple to the goddess Ceres, but numerous findings of terracottas depicting Athena suggest that the temple was dedicated to her.
An interesting feature of the temple is that the outer columns are in the Doric style--i.e. there is no base to the columns and there is limited decoration at the top. However, there were two interior columns (neither of which is standing) in the Ionic style--i.e. they had bases and decorated capitals. This may suggest that the temple was built during a period of architectural transition.
Date: c. 500 BC
Details: This archaic Greek temple was built in the Greek colony of Poseidonia (later called Paestum), which was probably established in southern Italy around 600 BC. The remains are one of the oldest standing structures in Paestum's ruins.
It was originally believed to be a temple to the goddess Ceres, but numerous findings of terracottas depicting Athena suggest that the temple was dedicated to her.
An interesting feature of the temple is that the outer columns are in the Doric style--i.e. there is no base to the columns and there is limited decoration at the top. However, there were two interior columns (neither of which is standing) in the Ionic style--i.e. they had bases and decorated capitals. This may suggest that the temple was built during a period of architectural transition.
Creator
Gabriel Baker
Rights
Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Collection
Citation
Gabriel Baker, “Temple of Athena,” Archaeology, Artifacts, & Landscapes, accessed April 25, 2024, https://gabrieldavidbaker.com/digital-exhibit/items/show/5.