The Diver’s tomb at Paestum in its context

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the archaeological context of the Tuffatore’s tomb at Paestum: this unique tomb is part of a certain type of occupation in the Poseidonia’s territory during the Archaic and Classical periods. The paintings of this tomb present a paradox: Greek elements used in a way which is not conceivable for a Greek. Material culture allows us to stress the mixed character of Poseidonia’s population and the archaeological context is used to propose a possible origin for the anomalies found in the represented iconography.