According to Solinus, the city was founded by the Dorians. It was established as Poseidonia (Ancient Greek: Ποσειδωνία) by Greek settlers and later came under the rule of local Lucanians and subsequently the Romans. The Lucanians renamed it Paistos, and the Romans gave it its present name of Paestum. As Pesto or Paestum, it became a bishopric, although it was ultimately abandoned during the Early Middle Ages. The town was left untouched and mostly forgotten until the 18th century CE.

circa 550 BCE

Pre-Greek Context
Prior to Greek colonization, the region that would become Paestum was inhabited by Italic peoples, likely belonging to the Oenotrians or related indigenous groups. Archaeological evidence from the surrounding areas, such as the Alento and Sele river valleys, indicates Bronze Age and Early Iron Age settlements with mixed subsistence economies and long-distance trade links. No large-scale urban center is attested here before the Greeks, but the coastal plain was already part of transhumant and maritime networks.

Foundation as Poseidonia
Poseidonia was founded around circa 600 BCE by Greek settlers from Sybaris, a powerful Achaean colony in southern Italy. The urban plan reflects a deliberate colonial layout with orthogonal streets, an agora, and early sanctuaries. The foundation included a coastal port area and inland access via the Sele River, anchoring Poseidonia within Sybarite trade routes across the Tyrrhenian coast. The earliest temples (e.g., the so-called Basilica) date to this founding phase, reflecting early Doric architectural traditions. Inscriptions and ceramic finds confirm strong links with the Greek mainland, especially Corinth and the Aegean.

Archaic Period
During the 6th century BCE, Poseidonia flourished as a polis with monumental architecture, economic autonomy, and integration into wider Greek religious and cultural practices. Three major temples—dedicated to Hera and possibly Athena or Poseidon—were constructed in the Doric style, using local limestone with painted terracotta decorations. The economy was based on agriculture, particularly grain and olives, and benefited from both inland and maritime trade. The presence of elite tombs with imported grave goods suggests a stratified society with strong aristocratic patronage. The city minted its own coins by the end of the period.

Classical Period
In the 5th century BCE, Poseidonia came under increasing pressure from inland Italic peoples, particularly the Lucanians, who would eventually dominate the area. This period saw a continuation of architectural and artistic output, but with indications of growing Lucanian cultural influences, especially in funerary art. Painted tombs from this era (notably the "Tomb of the Diver") display a fusion of Greek and Italic iconography, suggesting gradual acculturation. Urban fortifications were enhanced during this period, likely in response to military threats.

Lucanian Period
By the late 5th to early 4th century BCE, Poseidonia had fallen under Lucanian control and was renamed Paistos. Greek civic institutions persisted but were increasingly hybridized with Oscan-language inscriptions and Italic cultural practices. Tomb paintings from this period show local elites in both Greek and Italic dress, participating in banquets and combat scenes. The city retained a degree of autonomy but functioned as a Lucanian stronghold in the Tyrrhenian corridor. Coinage continued, and the temples remained active, though architectural development slowed.

Roman Period
In 273 BCE, following Rome’s conquest of southern Italy and the defeat of the Lucanians, Paistos was refounded as a Roman colony, renamed Paestum. A Latin-speaking population was installed, and a new civic plan was overlaid onto the old Greek grid. Roman forums, baths, and an amphitheater were constructed. The three Greek temples were preserved and possibly repurposed for civic or religious functions. The economy was integrated into the Roman imperial system, with Paestum becoming a center for grain and other agricultural products. Inscriptions attest to a mixed Latin-Oscan population under Roman governance.

Late Antiquity and Decline
By the 4th century CE, Paestum began to decline, due to a combination of malaria, economic contraction, and the silting of the nearby port. Pagan temples fell into disuse, although the site was not entirely abandoned. A Christian basilica was constructed near the forum, suggesting continued occupation into the 6th century CE. The acropolis and city walls were reused, and some elite buildings were converted into rural farmsteads. However, by the 7th century CE, Paestum had largely ceased to function as an urban center.

Rediscovery
The site faded from historical memory until it was rediscovered in the 18th century during road construction under the Bourbons. The well-preserved Doric temples, particularly the so-called Temple of Neptune (or the second temple of Hera), attracted the attention of antiquarians and early archaeologists. Paestum became a key reference point for studies of Archaic Greek architecture, with architectural drawings disseminated across Europe. Formal excavations began in the 19th century and have continued intermittently into the present, uncovering sanctuaries, painted tombs, city gates, and domestic areas, firmly establishing Paestum as a critical site for understanding the interaction of Greek, Italic, and Roman cultures in Magna Graecia.

circa 550 BCE

First Temple of Hera
Constructed approximately 550 BCE by the Greek settlers, the "First Temple of Hera" is the southern most and oldest surviving temple in ancient Paestum. Despite its historical significance, it was mistakenly called "the Basilica" by archaeologists in the eighteenth century CE, who believed it to be a Roman building. It should be noted that the original Roman basilica served a civic function and was only later adopted by Early Christians as a church plan.

The discovery of inscriptions and terracotta figurines indicated that the deity venerated at this temple was Hera. A subsequent excavation unearthed an altar positioned in front of the temple, in a manner typical of Greek altars located in open-air spaces. This allowed worshippers to participate in rituals and offerings without entering the cella, or inner sanctum of the temple.

The columns of the temple exhibit a pronounced entasis, or curvature, along their length, suggesting an early construction date. Some of the capitals on the columns still show traces of their original paint. The temple is wider than most other Greek temples, potentially due to the presence of two doors and a central row of seven columns within the cella, a distinctive feature. This may indicate a dual dedication of the temple. Furthermore, the use of nine columns along the shorter sides of the temple, and eighteen along the longer sides, is highly uncommon. This was likely due to the need to accommodate the two doors and ensure that neither of them was obstructed by a column.

circa 550 BCE

Agora
Right from the moment of the foundation of the city of Poseidonia, an enormous space (approx. 330 x 300 meters) was set aside between the two large urban sanctuaries for public and civic functions; the agora. A slight difference in height distinguished the two areas which had different functions. Political and religious activities took place in the northern area while the southern area, subsequently incorporated by the Romans in to the Forum, was reserved for commercial activities. It was an extremely large space closely associated with the city's identity, the Agora was the core of Life in the Greek city, it provided the setting for political life with citizens who debated matters and took decisions about the issues facing the city. Here there were cults of gods and heroes, with parts of the Agora devoted to figures who represented the identity and the autonomy of the city. Beyond there were traders and orators while bankers sat in the most crowded areas. Slaves also wandered around the square running errands for their masters. The Agora was off limits for people who had committed a serious crime or had been banned.

circa 500 BCE

Temple of Athena
The Temple of Athena is situated at the highest point of the ancient town of Paestum, a distance from the Hera Temples and north of the center of the ancient settlement. The temple, constructed around 500 BCE, was initially misidentified as being dedicated to Ceres. Its architecture is considered transitional, featuring a combination of early Doric and partially Ionic styles. The presence of three Christian tombs in the floor of the temple suggests that it was repurposed as a Christian church during medieval times.

circa 475 BCE

Ekklesiasterion
Also called bouleuterion, it was built circa 480-470 BCE in the eastern sector of the Agora, and was used to hold political meetings (ekklesiai) in the Greek city of Poseidonia. After the Lucanians seized control, the monument retained a similar function. This is evident from the discovery of a stele from circa 300 BCE bearing an inscription in Lucan by a local magistrate, Statis Statilies, dedicated to Jupiter in gratitude for the granting of a wish. After the city was settledby a Roman colony, the ekklesiasterion no longer had a role in the new political order and was therefore abandoned. Later on a temple was built in its place.

circa 450 BCE

Second Temple of Hera
The second Temple of Hera, built between 460-450 BCE, was situated to the north of the original Hera Temple, and it was originally believed to be dedicated to Poseidon. The columns of the temple are distinctive in that they have 24 flutes instead of the typical 20, and they are wider with smaller intervals between them. Although Hera was the primary deity worshipped at the temple, Zeus was also revered alongside an unknown deity. On the eastern side of the temple, there are two remaining altars, with the smaller one being a later Roman addition created when a road was constructed through the larger altar leading to a Roman forum. There is a possibility that the temple was initially dedicated to both Hera and Poseidon, as shown by the presence of offertory statues found around the larger altar.

circa 50 BCE

Amphitheatre
The Roman amphitheater of Paestum is a historical structure that was constructed around 50 BCE using local sandstone, today mostly in ruins it forms part of the archaeological site of ancient city of Paestum. The amphitheater was a significant part of the Roman city and played an important role in entertainment, hosting events such as gladiator fights and animal hunts. The amphitheater originally had a circular shape with a seating capacity of around 2,800 people. Towards the end of the first century CE, an outer ring was added to the structure to accommodate a larger audience of around 5,000 spectators. Although the amphitheater is still partially visible today, a section of it is located under a nearby road. The amphitheater is an important testament to the architectural and engineering skills of the ancient Romans.

circa 275 BCE

Comitium
It is probable that the Comitium was constructed in the initial phases of Roman control and can be regarded as the most significant public structure of that time. The comitium, where public meetings were held and civic events took place, had a similar function to that of the comitium in the Forum Romanum. During the second century CE, also at the expense of a part of the Comitium’s cavea, the Temple of Bona Mens, also known as the Temple of Peace, was built.

circa 250 BCE

Public Pool
The public pool (Piscina Publica) was a large rectangular pool, enclosed by a wall. Recent studies have identified the structure as the Temple of Fortuna Virilis, a deity from the Roman pantheon associated with Venus. With the demise of the cult during the Imperial Period, the pool was filled in and a new building surrounded by a portico was built over it. The new building, connected to the structure in the western apse, was devoted to the Imperial Cult.

circa

Curia
The Curia of ancient Paestum was the place where the magistrates dispensed justice and maintained their records. The curia was located on the centre of the northern side of the Roman Forum. The curia situated north of the comitium formed a single complex, a rectangular building that housed the magistrates’ archives and where the magistrates themselves administered justice. As can be observed today, the extension of the Curia caused the demolition of the northern section of the Comitium’s cavea.

circa 450 BCE

Tomb of the Diver
The Tomb of the Diver, located in Paestum, is renowned for the enigmatic frescoes that adorn its walls. The origins of this tomb are also somewhat unclear, with scholars debating whether it was built by a Greek settlement occupying Poseidonia or by an ancient Italic tribe from a more southerly region of Italy. The tomb comprises five significant stone slabs, each of which features a fresco attributed to one of two artists. The four walls are decorated with scenes of a symposium, which is unusual for a burial context. The ceiling of the tomb is the primary mystery and gives the tomb its name: it depicts a solitary diver plunging into a pool of water. This image is unique to this tomb, and no other ancient Mediterranean artwork has similar imagery to the diver.