Recenti ricerche nell'area del santuario urbano di Poseidonia

The article is a report on the results of the first campaign conducted in the Athenaion of Poseidonia-Paestum by the University of Salerno as part of a three-year concession granted by the Italian Ministry of Heritage (2018-2020). The field investigations were started in 2018. They are the final outcome of a series of studies on the metal materials from the “Stipi di Cerere” (hoards of Ceres), unearthed in the 1928, 1929, 1937, and 1939 excavations directed by A. Maiuri. These studies included an examination of all the previous documentation, which had revealed the potential of further investigations, to be implemented both through non-invasive testing and by resuming excavation. It was evident that the old excavations in the sanctuary had not always reached down to the virgin travertine bank. Between June and September 2018, geophysical tests and two trial pits revealed part of a trench of the 1930s excavations, as well as layers with dates between the late sixth and early fifth century BC, only partly disturbed by early digging. The results achieved have opened new research perspectives not only on the history of the temple but also on the early years of the history of Poseidonia.