Scroll through the timeline and discover the history of the Archaeological Area
A Flourishing Trade Centre and the Birthplace of the Eleatic School
Archaeological Discoveries in the Modern Era
The Founding of Velia
Velia—originally known as Elea—was founded between 540 and 535 BC by Greek settlers from Phocaea (modern-day Foça, on the coast of present-day Turkey). In 545 BC, following the Persian invasion of their homeland, the Phocaeans were forced to flee westward across the Mediterranean. After a long journey, they settled in Alalia, on the island of Cyrnus (modern-day Aleria in Corsica), where fellow Phocaeans had established a settlement some years earlier.
However, their maritime trading expertise soon brought them into conflict with the Etruscans and Carthaginians, who at the time controlled the trade routes of the Tyrrhenian Sea. This rivalry led to a naval confrontation—known in ancient historical tradition as the “Battle of the Sardinian Sea”—in which the Greeks emerged victorious. Despite this success, the Phocaeans at Alalia suffered severe losses and were forced to withdraw to Rhegion, a city in Magna Graecia that was allied with them.
There, an ambassador from Poseidonia (Paestum) advised them to settle further along the coast. In the land of the ancient Oenotrians, they found a site that offered both natural protection and access to the sea. It was here that they gradually established the city of Elea, later known as Velia.
The Rise of Elea
In the decades following its foundation, Elea flourished, enjoying prosperity thanks to favourable trade relations with numerous cities and peoples across the ancient Mediterranean. This was the era of the celebrated philosophers Parmenides and Zeno, who played key roles not only in shaping Elea’s cultural identity but also its political structure. They provided the city with its Constitution, upon which both citizens and magistrates swore their oaths. As a result, Elea experienced a long period of social stability and economic success.
So strong was the city’s civic structure that, between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, Elea resisted pressure from the Lucanians, defeated the Poseidonians in battle, and ultimately became a close ally of Rome, which was then extending its control across Italy and beyond. Between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, Elea’s political and commercial influence was widely recognised throughout the Mediterranean, both to the East and the West.
The city expanded and took on a newly conceived urban and architectural layout. During this period, a number of important monuments were constructed, including the public baths, the portico of the Great Temple of Athena, sacred precincts along the ridges of the inner hills, and a sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, which served medical and healing purposes. One of the most remarkable achievements was the vaulted passage of Porta Rosa—among the earliest known examples of a full semicircular arch with a relieving structure, built entirely using dry-stone techniques and following precise harmonic proportions.
From Elea to Velia
From the early days of Rome’s expansion, Elea developed strong ties with the city of Rome. In exchange for its military and naval support during the Punic Wars, the Romans granted Elea considerable political, economic, and administrative autonomy—including the right to mint its own coins.This relationship was formalised in 88 BC when Elea became a Roman municipium and was renamed Velia.
From the 1st century BC, Velia became a popular retreat for Rome’s elite. Notable visitors included the statesman and orator Cicero, the general Lucius Aemilius Paullus, and the poet Horace, who stayed there both for leisure and health. During the Augustan era, at the beginning of the Empire, Velia remained a flourishing city and an important urban and port centre. It was well known for its strategic location, as well as its reputation in medicine, culture, and religion.
In the early centuries of the Common Era, Velia began to experience serious environmental challenges. Soil erosion and overuse of the land led to coastal retreat and unstable slopes. Frequent flooding and silting became common, prompting repeated repairs and alterations to the city’s buildings and road network.
Decline and Abandonment
Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Velia—like many other cities—experienced a gradual decline that eventually led to its complete abandonment between the 5th and 6th centuries AD. From that point onward, the site was steadily buried beneath layers of alluvial sediment, erasing it from view and memory. Archival records from 562 mention a bishopric named Velia. However, this reference does not correspond to the ancient city, once a prominent Roman centre, but rather to a cluster of villages and lands around the Alento River and Mount Stella.
In later medieval travel records, the area once occupied by the Phocaean city is referred to as Bellia or Bellias. Between the 10th and 12th centuries, a fortified settlement known as Castellum Maris or Castrum Maris rose on what had been the acropolis of Elea/Velia.
In 1420, Count Francesco Sanseverino of Lauria purchased the fiefdom for 500 ounces of gold and later, in 1447, donated it to the Casa dell’Annunziata of Naples. In 1458, King Ferrante I of Naples ordered the settlement to be abandoned so the land could be used for olive cultivation and livestock grazing.
By the time the estate passed into the hands of the Caracciolo family, and later to the Maresca family in 1702, the area was completely depopulated. Official census records confirm that the settlement on the hill—built over the remains of ancient Elea—was entirely deserted.
Rediscovery and the First Excavations
By the modern era, almost all knowledge of Velia—and its earlier identity as Elea—had faded into obscurity. Its history had been forgotten and its precise location left uncertain. It was the German scholar L. Holstenius who, in the mid-17th century, first identified the ancient site with the promontory of Castellamare della Bruca. However, the first proper description of the city only appeared in 1745, thanks to the work on Lucania by the Baron of Ceraso, Antonini.
At the end of the 19th century, during the construction of the Vallo–Pisciotta railway, W. Schleuning of the German Archaeological Institute produced the site’s first topographic plan. Yet it wasn’t until 1927 that systematic archaeological excavation began, led by Amedeo Maiuri with funding from the Magna Grecia Society and support from Umberto Zanotti Bianco. These early efforts revealed large sections of residential areas and the sanctuary atop the acropolis.
After the Second World War, research resumed in the 1950s under Pellegrino Claudio Sestieri, who expanded exploration across the city. In the 1960s, Mario Napoli launched a wide-ranging excavation campaign that gradually restored Velia’s urban and monumental identity. Among his most significant discoveries were Porta Rosa and the archaic quarter—the oldest known core of Elea’s original settlement. Meanwhile, research carried out by Austrian and Neapolitan university institutes also began and continues today, focusing on the eastern and southern areas of the ancient city.
Velia Today
Today, Velia is a remarkable archaeological site, welcoming scholars to explore its ancient history. Research continues with targeted excavations, supported by careful restoration and efforts to enhance the site’s value. In recent years, archaeologists have systematically investigated the city walls, the acropolis, the Asklepieion, the necropoleis of Porta Marina, the western and southern quarters, and the Hellenistic baths. As you walk through the remains of this millennia-old city, you can uncover the stories it still holds. Through special events, exhibitions, and guided tours, the Archaeological Parks invite you to experience the legacy of Elea and Velia—continually finding new ways to shape the site into an international cultural hub and a driving force for local development.
I Parchi archeologici di Paestum e Velia sono un istituto del Ministero della Cultura dotato di autonomia speciale, iscritto dal 1998 nella lista del patrimonio mondiale UNESCO.
The Archaeological Parks of Paestum and Velia; an institute of the Ministry of Culture, with special autonomy and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
