View of Temple of Hera from SE corner, looking NW, Foce del Sele

Northeast corner of Temple of Hera, with sloping ramp-like stones at corne...

View of Temple of Hera and Altar in Heraion sanctuary, looking N, Foce del...

Southeast corner of Temple of Hera, with sloping ramp-like stones at corne...

Two Altars of Hera in Heraion, from front of Temple of Hera, Foce del Sele

Adyton of Temple of Hera, looking W, Foce del Sele

Context: Foce del Sele
Type: Temple
Summary: Octastyle temple in an archaic santuary devoted to Argive Hera.
Dimensions:

18.7 x 38.9


Architectural Order:

Octastyle.

Plan:

An octastyle temple with 17 columns on the long sides. The stereobyte is presevered to its original height in some places. Following Ionic usage, the axes of the cella walls are alligned with those of the corresponding columns of the peristasis. A pronoas, noas, and adyton compose the cella, and the lateral walls had columns instead of antae. The pteroma widens greatly on the east side, equaling the dimensions of the three interaxials.

Date Description:

Numerous terracota votive objects remain from the destroyed treasury and a possible cult building.

History:

The temple was erected towards the end of the 6th century B.C. An earthquake, perhaps in 63 A.D., probably destroyed the temple. The eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. buried the Heraion complex and by the 4th century A.D. all traces of activity have disppeared.

Other Notes:

Unstable terrain dictated the placement of four courses under the peristasis and two under the cella.The columns are sandstone conglomerate, all with eighteen flutes, to which correspond two groups of capitals, diverse in profile. A multiple molding crowned the architrave and the moldings of the external face bear plastic decoration composed of Lesbian leaves, egg and dart, and bead and reel. Multiple molding bearing, from top to bottom, a Lesbian leaf, an Ionic leaf, and a small cyma reversa formed the normal Doric gesion above the frieze.

The temple was entered by means of a ramp abutting the crepidoma on the east front and the altar is situated 34.1 m from this front.

Sources Used:

PECS, 332-3

Other Bibliography:

P.Z. Montuoro and U.Z. Bianco, Heraion all foce del Sele I-II (1951-54); P.Z. Montuoro in Atti e memorie della Società Magna Grecia, NS 2 (1958) 8ff; 3 (1960) 69ff; 5 (1965) 57ff; 6-7 (1965-66) 24ff; 8 (1967) 7ff; S. Stucci in Annuario della Scuola archeologica italiana di Atene, NS 14-16 (1952-54) 41ff.