National Archaeological Park of Ancient Kaulon

The Archaeological Park of ancient Kaulon extends along a strip parallel to the coastline and includes a large sector of the ancient settlement and the sacred area of the Doric Temple. The excavation area is accessible through the subway of the SS Jonica 106, near the Museum. Like the other colonies of Magna Graecia, Kaulon was organised according to a precise town-planning scheme. In the Hellenistic period, following the destruction of the city by the tyrant of Syracuse Dionysius I in 389 B.C., the urban space was reorganised according to the regular "Hippodamean" layout (named after the architect, Hippodamus of Miletus): a narrow street grid (stenopoi), laid out from upstream to downstream to facilitate the flow of water, which intersected orthogonally with wide streets (plateiai). This resulted in blocks divided into lots by narrow gaps, each lot was then subdivided into two quadrangular houses (17x17 m). The roadbed consisted of simple sand and gravel pours, with the addition of ceramic fragments.

In the most prestigious dwellings, a distinction was made between the residential part and the representative part: the house of the "Insula I", for instance, has the distinction between the "gynaeceum" (part reserved for women) and the "androeceum" (part reserved for men) mentioned in ancient sources. The courtyard played a fundamental role: in addition to connecting the rooms, it was the site of many domestic activities. The "House of the Dragon", named after the sea dragon that appears in one of its floor mosaics, is one of the most luxurious dwellings in the city: exceptionally large, it is divided into a northern, representative sector and a southern, residential sector. The polychrome sea dragon, now housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria, decorated the threshold of the largest room, inside which is a central panel with stylised waves. The use of lead sheets allows the mosaic to be dated to the 3rd century B.C. and to be considered one of the oldest ever found in Calabria. A path that traces the course of one of the city's main road axes (plateia S2) allows one to view the remains of the settlement. The final section of the route leads to the sacred area of the Doric Temple, of which the plinth, altar, steps and other sacred structures are visible. A subway at the opposite end of the previous one leads to a sector of the settlement further upstream.

The museum presents an exhibition of the finds from the excavation campaigns carried out by Orsi at the beginning of the 20th century, as well as more recent ones, which began in the 1980s and are still ongoing. The special feature of the exhibition is the presentation of various settings relating to sacred areas, daily life and craftwork (clay and metals). One section is devoted to underwater findings, the result of prospecting in the stretch of sea facing the ancient settlement: these are valuable architectural elements, found in an area where stone was worked.