The temple of Hera, built
around 550 BC by Greek colonists,
is the oldest surviving temple
in Paestum. Eighteenth-century
archaeologists named it "The
Basilica" because they
mistakenly believed it to be a
Roman building. A basilica in
Roman times was a civil
building, not a religious one.
Inscriptions revealed that the
goddess worshiped here was Hera.
Later, an altar was unearthed in
front of the temple, in the
open-air site usual for a Greek
altar; the faithful could attend
rites and sacrifices without
entering the cella.
Paestum is also renowned for its
painted tombs, mainly belonging
to the period of the Lucanian
rule, while only one of them
dates to the Greek period. It
was found, on 3 June 1968, in a
small necropolis some 1,5 km
south of the ancient walls.
