Temple-of-Hera-550-BC-PPW

Paestum, or Poseidonia as it was originally known, was founded by Greeks from Sybaris in the 6th century BC. The Greeks built three great temples - the first de...
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Paestum, or Poseidonia as it was originally known, was founded by Greeks from Sybaris in the 6th century BC. The Greeks built three great temples - the first dedicated to Hera and two more of uncertain dedications - between about 550 and 450 BC.

The city was colonized by the Romans in 273 BC, who Latinized its name to Paestum and added the usual Roman infrastructure of roads, forum and theaters. Christians moved in around the 5th century AD, converting at least one temple into a church and building a new church nearby.

By the 9th century AD, the land had become swampy and a combination of malaria and Saracen raids had decimated the population. The city and its great temples were abandoned and gradually overtaken by the forest, where it remained hidden until its discovery in the 18th century during the building of a road.

D810 with 24-120 f-4G ED VR lens at 24mm, f-5.6, 1-320, Auto ISO 72, VR on Manual Mode, hand held.
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