GAUDO CULTURE

During World War II, and more precisely after the landing at Paestum in 1944, Allied troops discovered an ancient prehistoric necropolis. Fortunately, the excavation work for a landing strip was led by an archaeology enthusiast who immediately recognized the historical value of the finds. Subsequent studies have confirmed the presence of distinctive elements compared to other known cultures. Today, scholars define the Gaudo culture, (Spina-Gaudo being the name of the location near the mouth of the Sele River where the necropolis was found), as the culture that developed in Southern Italy during the Copper Age (Chalcolithic).

Developing in the Paestum area, near the sea, the Gaudo culture expanded inland as evidenced by necropolises found in Mirabella Eclano, Eboli, and Buccino.

The National Archaeological Museum of Paestum displays a reconstruction of one of the 34 tombs found (see figure on the left). The numerous artifacts, enriched by exhaustive explanations and reconstructions of ancient tools, immerse the visitor in one of the most dynamic and interesting realities that developed between the end of the fourth millennium and the first half of the third.