Paestum_ Temple of Athena c. 1870

Giorgio Sommer's photograph captures the Temple of Athena in Paestum, likely taken in the mid to late 19th century. Sommer, a German photographer working in Italy, catered to the burgeoning tourist industry, documenting classical ruins as emblems of European heritage. This image, however, goes beyond a mere recording of antiquity. It invites us to consider the layers of history and identity embedded in this site. The temple, dedicated to a Greek goddess, stands as a testament to cultural exchange and the passage of time. Its weathered stones speak of power, belief, and the inevitable decay of civilizations. Sommer’s photograph prompts questions about how we relate to the past, whose stories are told, and who gets to tell them. There is a strange melancholy in Sommer's careful framing which reminds us that time is relentless and history is always a constructed narrative.