Tempio di Poseidon (Temple of Poseidon), Taranto

The Temple of Poseidon, also known as the Doric Temple of Taranto, is the oldest Greek temple in Magna Graecia and the only remaining ancient Greek religious site in the city. Located in the historic Borgo Antico, this temple dates back to the 6th century BC and was originally part of the Spartan colony of Taras. While traditionally associated with Poseidon, the god of the sea, archaeological evidence suggests it may have been dedicated to a female divinity, possibly Artemis, Persephone, or Hera. Over the centuries, the temple suffered destruction, looting, and repurposing, making it difficult to reconstruct its original form. However, two massive Doric columns and a base with three additional column drums still stand today as reminders of its grandeur.

The two remaining columns, made of local carparo stone, stand 8.47 meters tall with a diameter of 2.05 meters, providing insight into the temple’s original structure. Archaeological findings suggest the temple followed a peripteral design, with six columns on the short sides and thirteen on the long sides, facing what is now the navigable canal of Taranto. Evidence also points to an earlier wooden structure, likely built by the first Spartan settlers at the end of the 8th century BC, predating the stone temple.

After the Roman conquest in the 3rd century BC, the site was gradually abandoned but later reused in the 6th century AD for granaries and storage as the population sought refuge in the peninsula for defensive reasons. In the 10th century, it briefly served as a Christian place of worship, and by the 14th century, parts of the area were converted for industrial use, including clay settling tanks and kilns.

The rediscovery of the temple occurred in 1881, when archaeologist Luigi Viola uncovered the shaft of one column, which had been concealed under layers of plaster. Bureaucratic obstacles delayed further excavation until the 1970s, when the second column was fully uncovered, allowing visitors to admire the ruins in their original setting. Today, although fenced off to preserve the remains, the temple is an important historical site that offers a glimpse into Taranto’s Greek past.