Paestum was founded by the Greeks around 600 BC as Poseidonia, then was conquered by the Lucanians, who changed the name of the city in Paistom, and finally by the Romans, who called the city Paestum. The three temples of the city (The Basilica, the temple of Neptune and the temple of Athena), the city walls, the Amphitheatre and some other minor things (like the ekklesiasterion or some roads) are largely intact, while the rest of the city is completely deteriorated, there is only the perimeter of the buildings. The temples of Hera (Basilica) and of Neptune where build around 40 years before the famous Parthenon. Paestum went in decadence around III century and the population all moved around the temple of Athena and abandoned the rest of the city due to the swamp which was being formed. It was an important city, because there was elected a bishop and the temple of Athena became a church, so the city remained alive until the VIII or IX century, when the population refuged on the nearby mounts. The city was rediscovered in the XVIII century.

(sorry for the bad english)