The Temple of Hera III in Paestum, Italy is a well-preserved ancient Greek temple that belongs to the Doric order. It is the largest and best-preserved temple in Paestum, built mid-fifth century BC, that is most likely dedicated to gods: Hera or Apollo. The temple’s grand size makes it an impressive sight with dimensions of 66.14 meters by 30.87 meters.
Paestum itself was originally named Poseidonia after the sea god Poseidon but had no temple for him. The three temples found there -the Temple of Hera I and II and the Temple of Neptune/Poseidon- were all intended for different gods but help to show how important these Greek deities were for their worshipers.
Visitors interested in ancient art can appreciate the columns’ rectangular shape with slight entasis until about 1 meter above the base, where their tapering begins towards its top. This subtlety shows signs of accuracy in construction despite being composed from nearby limestone and clay deposits materials typical for that time period. In addition, visitors will also take notice of how they managed symmetry within proportions; without including wedge-shaped terminations enhancing their flatness (known as stylobates), it would be hard to achieve such precision when placing individual blocks together over this expansive structure.
Overall, visiting Paestum’s Temple of Hera III provides an excellent opportunity for art enthusiasts interested in learning more about ancient Greek architecture design techniques and symbols they used in corresponding cultures almost 2500 years ago..
