There are three great temples at Paestum, ancient but still standing, about twenty miles south of Salerno, on the Tyrrhenian coast. They are the most obvious remains of a oncethriving Greek colony called Poseidonia, named for the Olympian god of the sea, Poseidon. The city’s long history is fascinating – but I hope you’ll forgive me if I postpone the story to another time, and instead tell you about a curious mystery you’ll find in the Archaeological Museum at Paestum, painted on five slabs of limestone.
Two of the slabs are about 7 feet long and 2½ feet wide;
