Museo e Parco archeologico dell'Antica Kaulon

The archaeological Park of Monasterace Marina, at the promontory of Punta Stilo, insists on the site of the colonial centre of Kaulon, founded by the crotonated Archaeans.The research of the last century made possible to have information about the first phases of life of the colony (second half of the 7th century BC) and its urban organization, defined by a regular system with narrow and long orthogonal and isolated roads, all equal in dimension, of the Hellenistic age.Among the houses, the so-called “House of the Dragon” is distinguished by the image depicted on the mosaic floor, now exhibited in the museum, originally placed on the banquet room.Important are the monumental remains of the Doric peripteral temple (470-460 BC) in sandstone blocks, discovered at the beginning of the last century and part of a large sanctuary area frequented from the beginning of the 7th century BC and subsequently used as a production area for metallurgical activities.Of great interest, in the central area of the park, is the building with an originally residential function, transformed in the 4th century BC in a thermal complex, presenting a beautiful polychrome floor mosaic with dragons and dolphins. In the second half of the III century B.C. the building was used as a place of worship, perhaps with a public nature.The Museum, located upstream of the SS 106, behind the Park, tells the city along a path that illustrates the town, the sacred areas and the necropolis. Among the artefacts, we note the splendid armours, ex voto coming from the Doric temple.A finding of great scientific value is the inscribed bronze tabula, “Tabula Cauloniensis”, with a dedication to Zeus in the Achaean alphabet (470-460 BC).Also, noteworthy is the exhibition area reserved for the underwater discoveries, few artefacts from Ionic columns (beginning of the 5th century BC), found in the seabed in front of the archaeological site.Finally, of great interest are the amphorae filled with pitch, an infrequent discovery that attests the use of pitch bruttia considered to be of excellent quality.