Temple of Ceres
Title
Temple of Ceres
Date
510 BCE
Alternative Title or Name
Temple of Athena
Creator2
Aluzzo, Adrienne (photograph)
Work Type
built works
Work Location
Italy (nation)
Pesto (inhabited place)
Style/Period
Archaic (Greek)
Subject
temples (buildings)
columns (architectural elements)
Doric order
Description
View of the temple of Ceres later acknowledged as the Temple of Athena at Paestum, Italy. "The temple contains a number of unusual and innovative features in its design. The combination of materials in the frieze of the temple is an unusual feature. The absence of a horizontal cornice, and the presence of carved coffers under the eaves created by the extension of the raking cornice are also eccentric. For the first time in Italy, Ionic columns are incorporated in a Doric temple. The Ionic columns stood on bases with a circular disc surmounted by a torus molding. Their capitals are of archaic design, with a convex cushion, and a large convex eye in the center of the volute. An egg-and-dart molding appears below the cushion of the capital. Additional Ionic features in the temple are the presence of Ionic moldings, including an egg-and-dart, on the exterior of the building above the frieze, and the emphasis on the east facade of the temple through the use of a wider ambulatory than on the flanks. The east facade is further emphasized through the elaboration of the pronaos with its Ionic columns. The capitals of the exterior colonnade were decorated with carved anthemion designs, possibly reflecting the influence of the Temple of Hera I nearby. The Doric columns also employ entasis, although not as pronounced as the entasis of the columns of the Temple of Hera I. The identification of the temple as belonging to Athena, not Ceres/Demeter as proposed in the eighteenth century, is now secure based on the discovery of over one hundred terracotta votive figurines depicting Athena, and a later pottery sherd with the archaic Latin inscription [M]ENERV[AE]," from Perseus Digital Library.
Material/Medium
stone (rock)
Reproduction Type
digital photograph
Reproduction Source
jpg
Copyright Statement
(c) 2013 Lawrence Technological University. All images associated with the LTU Digital Collection are protected by United States copyright law. Duplication or sale of all or part of any of the data or images is not permitted without consent of the copyright holder.
ID Number
2013ita033
- Date Added
- June 5, 2013
- Collection
- LTU Digital Images
- Item Type
- VRA Core
- Tags
- Paestum, temples
- Citation
- “Temple of Ceres,” LTU Digital Images, accessed April 26, 2024, https://ltuimagecollection.omeka.net/items/show/14.