Temple Of Athena Paestum (Analysis)

Temple of Athena "Paestum" (analysis) Within the ancient Greek city of Paestum is the Temple of Athena. Built around 500 BCE, a half a century before the Temple of Poseidon and a half a century after the Basilica. The temple rests of the highest point of Paestum as do most temples of Athena do. ! ! Up until now in history buildings have either been doric or Ionic, but the Temple of Athena combines the two. The temple is peripteral, hexastyle with thirteen columns on the side, resting on a three stepped krepis.

The columns on the exterior colonnade our doric, while the columns of the pronaos are ionic. An unusual feature s the combination of materials in the frieze, along with the absence of a horizontal cornice. As for the construction of the building not much is known other then built of cut stone and had originally a stucco finish. The major temples of Greece had intricately carved triglyphs such as in the pantheon in Athens. Due to the geography of southern Italy there is no naturally occurring marble and only coarse stones could be used for carving.

Although many speculate that metopes and the space above them would have been painted.! The process of dating the temple of Athena comes from the style of the carved rchitectural pieces that have been preserved, for instants the style of the echinus of the column capitals help date the temple. Although sometimes referred to as the temple of Ceres it is most definitely dedicated to Athena, to whom the Romans called Minerva.

The discovery of undisturbed votive offerings at the south of the temple confirm the dedication of this temple to Athena. These offerings were mostly small terra-cotta statues of Athena. Small statues showed Athena into aspects - as a nurturing goddess with a child (kourotrophos), and as an armed warrior (Promachos). These offerings were given to the temple by worshipers and later buried in pits when the temple became too cluttered.

Evidence that the Athena cult continued into the Roman period comes from findings of terra-cotta fragments with the waiting Minerva shown on them. At the decline of ancient Paestum the remaining population settled around the temple of Athena. In the sixth and seventh centuries C. E. when Christianity became dominant the temple was rededicated as a Christian church, probably devoted to the worship of the Virgin Mary. As a result the orientation of the temple was reversed. By erausse020