Did they have a feeling? Hard to say. Women and men of science are not accustomed to omens. Yet they devoted discussion and attention to the site. Last November Italian chemists and physicists held the 20th Congress of their organization in Paestum. They met in one of the most evocative areas of Southern Italy Magna Graecia. Physicists are not interested in excavations, but they are no strangers to research in every field.
And here we are today, with the announcement of the discovery of two new Doric temples. An exceptional discovery in the ancient city of Poseidonia-Paestum, spread throughout the world. The discovery occurred just outside the fenced area during stratigraphic excavations. The Ministry of Culture, as we are now accustomed to, immediately communicated the discovery. And from this point of view the Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano he is keen to "beat" the news on his MIC even several times a day.
But Paestum is Paestum, the place where scholars of everything (not just chemists and physicists, therefore) hold meetings continuously, where an international tourism exchange takes place and everything to better enhance the origins of the Magna Graecia polis. An environmental, historical and archaeological excellence of the South. From the point of view landscaped the area has been kept away from speculation and urban invasiveness. It is true that attempts of this type have been rejected several times, even by uneducated industrialists.
More than 200 thousand tourists a year
What was found? An early Doric temple 5th century BC A sacred construction with steps and columns. “A typology comparable to that of the capitals of the temple of Hera I, the so-called “Basilica”, the oldest of the three major temples of Paestum”. Archaeologists have reconstructed that at the time there were heavy collapses near a road near the temples. When the oldest temple was built, the city of Poseidonia was not yet equipped with those defensive walls that can be seen today and which separate it by a few hundred meters from the sea. The coast attracted for its fertility and excellent geographical position.
“ The importance of this sacred space is confirmed by its complex building phases, which saw the construction of two Doric temples, and by its long and uninterrupted attendance. For over half a millennium it marks a fundamental continuity of worship through the Greco-Lucan and Roman eras". The Ministry has funds available and Sangiuliano immediately added that "the discoveries confirm that in Paestum there is still a lot to do in terms of excavations, research and also in terms of valorisation". Everyone hopes that he will keep his commitment and that these are not temporary declarations. On the other hand, the Minister of Neapolitan origins could be the candidate to the next regional elections in Campania
The archaeological park is visited every year by over 200 thousand tourists. The excavation works have only resumed a few years ago but "they are yet another demonstration of how study and research are cornerstones in the management of cultural heritage and fundamental tools for protection functions" says the Park Director Tiziana D'Angelo.
The settlers arrived in Paestum from the sea and today's findings explain the "construction phases of a sanctuary located in a border area, near the coast from which the settlers themselves had arrived a few decades earlier" adds D'Angelo. Along with the discovery, it was also said that the excavations will conclude shortly with a new route for visitors and scholars. Even for congressmen who do well, we add.
