On an early December Sunday, 2013, we were treated to the best historical tour possible of the excavated areal of the ancient Greek settlement, about 70Km south of Naples (past Ercolano - Herculaneum - Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii, Salerno and not far from Eboli). Here we are looking at the later Roman ruins, situated between the three temples. Notice, at the end of the video clip, the wide ancient street on the right. Its give-away large stones indicate its Roman craftsmanship. The sunken tomb in the foreground was originally Greek, dedicated to the real or imagined founder of the city, but the Romans "honored" it by covering it over, to begin replacing one myth and politics with another. On the opposite end of the areal (not shown here) lies the small, cone-shaped meeting place where the Greeks once conducted their democratic business. This round indentation in the earth could seat at least 1200, and there was maybe an 8 foot diameter space at the bottom center for a speaker to stand. Upon their arrival, the Romans covered it over; this was not the way politics was to be done. Close by, one half of the Roman arena for gladiator battles is visible. But the most impressive in all of this are the three Greek temples. This place must be visited.
