Tristan Hughes

Pestum had outlived the mother city and its prominence would only increase.

By the middle of the 5th century BC, Pestum had many of the classic hallmarks of an ancient Greek city.

Pestum was not just substantial, it was also incredibly striking, defined by three great temples that dominated the city.

They were built between 550 and 450 BC, all made from local limestone.

One of them was built at the northern end of the city, the Temple of Athena.

The other two are situated in the south, right next to each other.

The first is today known as the Basilica, so called because it was originally thought to be an ancient law court.

But finds have since proven it was a temple to the goddess Hera.

It's the oldest of the three temples, built in the mid-6th century BC, just decades after Pestum was founded.

Next to the basilica, you have the grandest of Pestum's surviving temples, standing more than 10 meters tall.

It's called the Temple of Neptune today, but of course Neptune is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Poseidon, lord of the sea and the divine patron of Pestum.

Whether the temple was actually dedicated to Poseidon, however, well, we'll address that in a moment.

But first, let's paint a clear picture of the Temple of Neptune.

It is one of the most spectacular surviving examples of ancient Greek temple architecture from anywhere in the world.

It is the pinnacle of a particular style known as the Doric Order.

It's called Doric after the long

almost 9-metre high fluted columns that surround the outside of the temple, 36 in total.

They are called Doric columns.

A small capital adorns the top of each column, supporting the top half of the temple.

Directly above the columns, on all four sides, is a long blank rectangular strip called the architrave.