The Temple of Hera II (also erroneously called the Temple of Neptune or of Poseidon), is a

Greek temple Greek temples ( grc, ναός, naós, dwelling, semantically distinct from Latin , "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, s ...

Paestum Paestum ( , , ) was a major ancient Greek city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Magna Graecia (southern Italy). The ruins of Paestum are famous for their three ancient Greek temples in the Doric order, dating from about 550 to 450 BC, whi ...

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It was built in the

Doric order The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of c ...

around 460–450 BC, just north of the first Hera Temple. If still in use by the 4th-and 5th century, it would have been closed during the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire.

Description

The temple has six columns along its shorter sides and fourteen columns along its longer sides. The columns do not have the typical 20

flutes The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

on each column but have 24 flutes. The Temple of Hera II also has a wider column size and smaller intervals between columns. The

entasis In architecture, entasis is the application of a convex curve to a surface for aesthetic purposes. Its best-known use is in certain orders of Classical columns that curve slightly as their diameter is decreased from the bottom upward. It also may ...

, or curve, of its columns give a stronger visual presence. This temple is aligned with a double peaked mountain considered to be sacred by the Greeks. The name "Temple of Neptune" is a misnomer from the 18th century, even though it was actually dedicated to the goddess Hera. It is listed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The temple was also used to worship

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label= genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label= genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek reli ...

and another deity, whose identity is unknown. There are visible on the east side the remains of two altars, one large and one smaller. The smaller one is a Roman addition, built when a road leading to a Roman forum was cut through the larger one. It also is possible that the temple originally was dedicated to both Hera and Poseidon; some offertory statues found around the larger altar are thought to demonstrate this identification. The Temple of Hera II resembles the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. With the other temples at Paestum it is one of the best preserved early Greek temples.

Gallery

File:Paestum, Italy (15222525492).jpg, The archaeological area around File:PaestumItalien.jpg, Reconstruction of the second temple of Hera from '' Pierer's Universal-Lexikon'', 1891. File:Y gianni Tempel Paestum 1898.jpg, Y. Gianni, 1898: Second Temple of Hera (foreground) with First Temple of Hera (background) File:"A company of men has set up its office between the columns (Doric) of an ancient Greek temple of Neptune, built about 7 - NARA - 531170.jpg, A company of soldiers set up its office between the columns (Doric) of the temple of Hera II, after the 1943 Allied Invasion of Italy at Paestum

Sources

Temple of Hera II, archaic Doric temple, 470–460 BCE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Temple of Hera II, Paestum Buildings and structures in the Province of Salerno Cilento Hera, Paestum

Tourist attractions in Campania 5th-century BC religious buildings and structures Paestum (ancient city)

Description

Gallery

See also

Sources