city state · Italy

Poseidonia

600 BCE – 410 BCE (approx.) · capital Poseidonia

Greek colony on the Gulf of Salerno, later called Paestum, with three of the best-preserved Doric temples anywhere.

Origins

Colonists from Sybaris founded Poseidonia around 600 BCE on the plain near the mouth of the Sele river, giving Sybaris an outlet on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Named after Poseidon, the city was laid out on a grid and enclosed later by walls nearly 5 km long.

Rule and society

Poseidonia prospered from farming and trade with the Etruscans and native peoples. Its three Doric temples, the so-called Basilica of about 550 BCE, the Temple of Athena and the temple of about 460 BCE once called the Temple of Neptune, still stand. The sanctuary of Hera at the mouth of the Sele and the painted Tomb of the Diver of about 470 BCE are famous.

Decline and legacy

Around 410 BCE the Lucanians took over the city, which became Paistom, and Greek and Lucanian customs blended. In 273 BCE Rome founded the Latin colony of Paestum there. Malaria and silting led to its abandonment in the Middle Ages, which helped preserve the temples.

Lineage

Sybaris 720 BCE – 510 BCEPoseidonia

Connections (1)

Poseidonia was conquered by Lucanians410 BCE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Poseidonia. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/poseidonia
MLA: “Poseidonia.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/poseidonia. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Poseidonia.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/poseidonia.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Poseidonia’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/poseidonia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻