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Caryatid Lamp (about 580-570 BC)
Paestum, Heraion of Foce del Sele
Terracotta, wheel and mold-made, painted
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum, inv. 48496
[Cat. no. 1]
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Paestum
Paestum was settled around 600 BC by Greeks from Sybaris, an older colony located on the coast of South Italy. Early settlers selected a rocky stretch of land located in antiquity about a half mile from the sea and called it Posidonia to honor Poseidon, god of the sea. According to the ancient historian and geographer Strabo, the mythical hero Jason, leader of the Argonauts, landed at the site on his return to Greece after retrieving the golden fleece. Aristotle, however, commented that Posidonia was founded by Sybarian residents originating from the city of Troizen in mainland Greece. These colonists were subsequently driven out of Sybaris after quarreling with citizens originally from Achaea. At Paestum (the Latin name for Posidonia), the Troizenian exiles found a coastal plain rich for agricultural development with ample fresh water and forested mountains-crucial elements for establishing a prosperous city in Magna Graecia.
The city came under the protection of the great mother deity, Hera, goddess of the earth and fertility and protectress of childbirth as well as the dead. Settlers established an important sanctuary honoring her nearby at the mouth of the Sele River. The Caryatid Lamp [cat. no. 1], one of the objects on display here from the National Archeological Museum of Paestum, was found near Hera's temple.
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Gela
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