Temple of Athena (Paestum)
| Temple of Athena (Paestum) | |
|---|---|
 Temple of Athena at Paestum (so-called "Temple of Ceres" | |
| General information | |
| Location | Paestum, Campania |
The Temple of Athena or Temple of Ceres (circa 500 BC) is a Greek temple found at Paestum, built near the so-called Basilica which is much larger than it.
It has a high pediment and a Doric frieze, made up of large blocks of limestone. The structure is simpler than the two temples of Hera nearby (the so-called Temple of Neptune and the Basilica): there is a pronaos and naos, but no adyton or opisthodomos (treasure room behind the naos).
The inside of the wide pronaos contained eight columns in the ionic style (four frontal and two on each side), of which the bases and two capitals remain. These capitals, like those of the Basilica, burst from an ornate collar. This seems to be the first example of two architectural orders co-existing in a single building.[1]
Traditionally, the temple was attributed to Ceres, but as a result of the recovery of numerous statuettes in terracotta depicting Athena, it is now thought to have been dedicated to this deity.
Notes
- ↑ Bianchi Bandinelli, 1986
Bibliography
- Bianchi Bandinelli, Ranuccio; Paribeni, Enrico (1986). L'Arte dell'antichità classica. Grecia. Torino: UTET. p. 55.
- Richter, Gisela Marie Augusta (1969). L'arte greca. Torino: Einaudi. p. 23.
Coordinates: 40°25′28″N 15°00′19″E / 40.4245°N 15.0054°E
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