Originally named Poseidonia, in honour of the sea God Poseidon, Paestum was founded by the Ancient Greek colonists from Sybaris in the 7th century BC and became an important centre of Magna Graecia - Greek colonisation in Italy. After a few hundred years, the city was occupied by the indigenous Lucanians and then by the Romans in the third century BC. Paestum succumbed to malaria after the fall of Rome and was eventually abandoned in the late 9th century. For nearly 1000 years, Paestum and...
more »Originally named Poseidonia, in honour of the sea God Poseidon, Paestum was founded by the Ancient Greek colonists from Sybaris in the 7th century BC and became an important centre of Magna Graecia - Greek colonisation in Italy. After a few hundred years, the city was occupied by the indigenous Lucanians and then by the Romans in the third century BC. Paestum succumbed to malaria after the fall of Rome and was eventually abandoned in the late 9th century. For nearly 1000 years, Paestum and its grand majestic temples were overgrown by tangled vegetation and partially submerged in swamplands until the mid 18th century when the ancient site was rediscovered by road crews. It then become a must see by any traveller engaged in the famous Grand tour. The three Doric temples of Paestum ( Hera, Athena and Poseidon) are ranked amongst the best preserved Greek Temples in the world and the extraordinary cycle of mural paintings from the 5th century BC Tomb of Diver are the only type of its kind in the world. Paestum is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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