Online Seismic Monitoring System installed at Iconic Ancient Doric Temple of Neptune in Paestum

A seismic monitoring system has been implemented to the Temple of Neptune in Paestum, to assess the deformational behavior and record structural changes.

The, so called, Temple of Neptune is one of the most famous Doric temples of the ancient world and is considered to be the one of the best-preserved of Magna Graecia. The original Greek name for Paestum was Poseidonia (i.e., city of Poseidon), with Paestum being the name given by the Romans.  The Latin equivalent of Poseidon is Neptune and consequently the temple was called the Temple of Neptune. Nonetheless, the dedication is believed to be almost certainly wrong as archaeological evidence indicates that the temple was actually dedicated to Hera.

The monitoring project, which recently became operational, is the outcome of a collaboration between the Archaeological Park of Paestum and Velia, and the Civil Engineering Department of the University of Salerno, and it is part of a broader research effort in which the participants include La Sapienza University of Rome and University of Kassel in Germany. The monitoring data will be partly available to the public through an online system, while research institutions worldwide will have complete access to the data.

According to Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Archaeological Park of Paestum and Velia, the project consists of 14, real-time monitoring points, using state-of-the art accelerometer sensors positioned on the high parts of the temple and the surrounding ground. The precision of the sensors allows for the recording of any movements due to seismic activity, as well as the identification of small deformations/deflections caused by nearby passing traffic or the wind loads on the temple.

Luigi Petti, from the University of Salerno designed the monitoring project, along with the architect Antonella Manzo. Petti stated to ANSAmed: "In practice, this is a virtuous integration between applied research and protection, which uses highly innovative technologies and sensors, developed by professor Fabrizio Barone for application in the sectors of seismology and geophysics, integrating the knowledge of many scientific sectors, including archaeology, architecture, geology and structural engineering." "Once again it shows how protection and research are two sides of the same coin", Petti concluded.