Temple of Hera (a.k.a. "Temple of Poseidon")
Dublin Core
Title
Temple of Hera (a.k.a. "Temple of Poseidon")
Description
Location: Paestum
Date: 460-450 BC
Details: Originally this temple was identified as a Temple of Poseidon/Neptune, but finds dedicated to Hera (including a silver disk that proclaims "I am sacred to Hera: strengthen our bows"), and sculptures depicting the marriage of Zeus and Hera, suggest that this and the adjacent temple ("the Basilica") were likely dedicated to that goddess (and perhaps to Zeus as well).
36 massive Doric columns, made of local travertine stone, form the outer colonnade of the temple. Inside the cella (the inner chamber where the statue of the divinity resided), there were additionally 14 two-storied columns for supporting a tall roof (suggesting that the statue of the god was particularly tall); many of these still stand.
The temple plan is very similar to that of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia (c. 430s BC), and the patterning may have been deliberate.
Date: 460-450 BC
Details: Originally this temple was identified as a Temple of Poseidon/Neptune, but finds dedicated to Hera (including a silver disk that proclaims "I am sacred to Hera: strengthen our bows"), and sculptures depicting the marriage of Zeus and Hera, suggest that this and the adjacent temple ("the Basilica") were likely dedicated to that goddess (and perhaps to Zeus as well).
36 massive Doric columns, made of local travertine stone, form the outer colonnade of the temple. Inside the cella (the inner chamber where the statue of the divinity resided), there were additionally 14 two-storied columns for supporting a tall roof (suggesting that the statue of the god was particularly tall); many of these still stand.
The temple plan is very similar to that of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia (c. 430s BC), and the patterning may have been deliberate.
Creator
Gabriel Baker
Rights
Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License
Collection
Citation
Gabriel Baker, “Temple of Hera (a.k.a. "Temple of Poseidon"),” Archaeology, Artifacts, & Landscapes, accessed April 26, 2024, https://gabrieldavidbaker.com/digital-exhibit/items/show/6.