The Doric Temple of Taranto, the oldest in Magna Graecia: the history of the Piazza Castello columns, who it was dedicated to and how to see them in the Old Town.
History
The two imposing columns rising in Piazza Castello, in the heart of the Old Town, are the only surviving trace of the Doric Temple of Taranto, the oldest sacred building in Magna Graecia. Its construction dates to the first quarter of the sixth century BC, when the Spartan colonists built their acropolis on the peninsula overlooking the sea.
Traditionally attributed to Poseidon — god of the sea and protector of the city — by archaeologist Luigi Viola, who studied the remains from 1881, the temple was in all likelihood dedicated to a female deity: the discovery of statuettes depicting a goddess enthroned points to Artemis, Hera or, more probably, Persephone.
Over the centuries the temple was stripped and its stones reused for other buildings. The surviving columns were absorbed into later constructions and only fully re-emerged with the excavations of the 1970s.
What to see
Today two Doric columns remain, along with the base of a third, made of carparo, the local stone quarried from the acropolis itself. They stand about 8.47 metres tall and belonged to the long side of the colonnade. Scholars believe the complete temple had thirteen columns on the long side and six on the front, which probably faced the canal, to the east.
The fluting of the shafts was not merely decorative: it caught the sunlight, creating plays of light and shade that changed through the day and gave the building prominence.
Did you know…
- It is the oldest Doric temple in Italy: its columns predate those of Paestum and Syracuse.
- It is the only Greek place of worship still visitable in Taranto's Old Town.
- During works for the Post Office building, further remains emerged: the dispute was settled by a letter from Mussolini, and the Post Office was moved to the Borgo Nuovo.
- For centuries one column stood embedded in a wall, its capital used as the base for a flowered balcony.
Practical information
| Hours | Always visible: they stand in an open public square. |
|---|---|
| Ticket | Free (open-air archaeological site). |
| Accessibility | Good, being a public square; nearby there may be cobblestones or uneven ground. |
| Getting there | In Piazza Castello, next to the Aragonese Castle and the Cathedral, at the entrance to the Old Town from the Swing Bridge. |
Tips for your visit
- The columns greet you as you reach the island from the Swing Bridge: the first Greek symbol you meet.
- Visit them together with the Aragonese Castle and the Cathedral: they're a few steps away.
- At sunset the raking light on the fluting recreates the chiaroscuro effect intended by the ancients.