Archaeological Museum, Paestum 
Facade and entrance of the Archaeological Museum of Paestum.
For all photos of the exhibits, see our Paestum Museum Photo Gallery.
The namesake fresco from the famous Tomb of the Diver.
Banquet (or symposium?) scene from the Tomb of the Diver.
Funeral procession on the Tomb of the Diver.
Triumphant warrior in a Lucanian-period tomb fresco.
Hera(?) driving a chariot in a Lucanian-period tomb fresco.
Ionic capital.
Enthroned "Hera of Paestum."
Metope relief of Ajax's suicide.
The excellent National Archaeological Museum of Paestum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum), located across the road to the east of the Greek temples, displays Greek and Roman artifacts from Paestum and the local area. Its most famous exhibits are rare Greek tomb frescoes from the 5th and 4th centuries BC.
History
The National Archaeological Museum of Paestum was founded in 1952 to display the artifacts found during excavations at Paestum and the Heraion (Temple of Hera Argiva) built by Greek colonists at the mouth of the Sele.
In 1970, the museum was enlarged in order to house the ancient painted tombs that had been discovered at Paestum in 1968. More expansions came in 1999, which incorporate a section on Roman life at Paestum, a teaching room, archives, a photographic laboratory and more.
What to See
Especially interesting are the ancient tomb paintings, which were accidentally uncovered by an artichoke farmer in 1969. A very rare survival from the ancient world, the frescoes remained well preserved in Paestum because the river silted up and turned the area into a swamp. The constant moisture seeping into the tombs over the centuries kept the paint from drying up and flaking off the stone walls. The swamps were filled in 1944, but the roots of artichokes continued to keep the tombs moist until they were discovered. Over 200 tombs have been excavated from the site.
Interestingly, the tomb frescoes do not depict scenes from classical mythology (as in most other Greek art), but realistic depictions of funeral rituals and funeral games. Ceramics found in the tombs provided approximate dates of 350-320 BC, when the Greek city of Poseidonia had been taken over by Lucanians (an indigenous Sabellian, Oscan-speaking people). The dress and armor of the figures in the tomb paintings further established that the sepulchers had been prepared for Lucanians, but in a style indebted to the Greeks and Etruscans.
One can see mounted men returning home to be greeted by women with a welcoming drink, as well as the laying out of the body surrounded by mourners, musicians and scenes of sacrifice. Observed by judges, the funeral games depicted can be violent and even bloody, portraying javelin competitions, chariot races around a victory column or boxing matches held to the sound of flutes. Genre-like scenes such as stag and panther hunts are also pictured. In addition to mythical beasts such as sphinxes and griffins, mythical figures of water nymphs riding seahorses appear - a reference to the isle of the blessed. The rooster as a symbol of fertility and pomegranates as symbols of eternal life give insight into the Lucani's world of imagery. 5
But perhaps even more interesting are the fresoces from the so-called Tomb of the Diver, which is even older (470 BC). The namesake mural from this tomb shows a diver in mid-plunge, which is thought to represent the passage from life to death. The same tomb has murals of a funeral cortege and male lovers banqueting.
Other Greek artifacts on the main floor include a collection of 6th-century BC bronze vases decorated with rams, lions and sphinxes, as well as gleaming bronze helmets and breastplates. The upper floor is devoted to Roman artifacts, which include an abstract statue of Pan with his pipes, a 3rd-century rlief of a baby in pointed hat an amulets, and a sarcophagus cover depicting an embracing couple.
Quick Facts
| Names: | National Archaeological Museum of Paestum; Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Paestum |
| Type of site: | Museum |
| Curator: | Marina Cipriani (tel. and fax: 0828-811023) |
| Dates: | 1952 |
| Location: | East of the Paestum Archaeological Site |
| Address: | Via Magna Grecia, 919 - 84063 Capaccio (SA) |
| Phone: | General: 0828-811023 Ticket office: 0828-722654 Tourist office: 0828-811016 |
| Website: | www.culturacampania.rai.it/site/en-GB.../paestum_museo_archeologico.html |
| E-mail: | info@infopaestum.it |
| Hours: | Daily 8:45am-7:45pm (last entry 7pm) Cclosed 1st & 3rd Mondays, Jan. 1, May 1, Dec. 25. |
| Cost: | €4 for site or museum; €6.50 for both |
| Facilities: | Toilets, bookshop, audio guides (€4) |
| Photography: | Permitted |
Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of the Paestum Museum. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Paestum Aerial Map or get our free Google Earth download.
Article Sources
- Personal visit (April 9, 2008).
- National Archaeological Museum of Paestum - official website
- R. Ross Holloway. The Tomb of the Diver, in American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 110, n. 3, July 2006 (pp. 365-388).
- Tomb of the Diver - Wikipedia
- "Treasure at Paestum" - TIME Magazine, January 26, 1970.
- Eileen H. Corrigan, Lucanian tomb paintings excavated at Paestum, 1969-1972: an iconographic study. Columbia University doctoral dissertation, 1979.
- "Painting for Eternity. The Tombs of Paestum." Europaconcorsi 2008 exhibition in Berlin, Germany.
- Barbara Ann Kipfer, "Paestum." Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology (2000).
More Information
- Gallery of Main Works - official website
