Heraion at Foce del Sele

The Heraion at Foce del Sele is an archaeological site consisting of an Ancient Greek sanctuary complex dedicated to the goddess Hera in what was Magna Graecia [1]. When built, the complex was located at the mouth of the Sele, approximately 8 km north of the Greek city of Poseidonia that was famous for its three standing Greek temples [1]. Due to the deposition of alluvial sediment by the river, the site now is approximately 2.3 km from the modern coast [1]. Construction at the complex is dated from the sixth to at least the third centuries BC [1]. The ancient sanctuary was founded at the beginning of the sixth century BC by the Greek colony at Paestum who originally were from further south at Sybaris [1]. Approximately seventy metope reliefs carved in local sandstone have been recovered during excavations [1]. Artefacts found during excavations of the sanctuary have included a large number of buried votive offerings (mostly terracotta statuettes of the goddess) that were buried some time after being left at the shrine [1].