Velia

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Velia

Ancient Greek: Ὑέλη, Ελέα
View of the excavations and the tower at Velia
Shown within Italy
Alternative name	Hyele, Ele, Elea
Location	Velia, Province of Salerno, Campania, Italy
Region	Magna Graecia
Coordinates	40°09′39″N 15°09′18″E / 40.16083°N 15.15500°E / 40.16083; 15.15500
Type	city
History
Builder	Settlers from Phocaea
Founded	Between 538 and 535 BC
Associated with	Parmenides, Zeno, Statius
Site notes
Website	Parco archeologico di Elea-Velia (in Italian)
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archaeological Sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, iv
Designated	1998 (22nd session)
Reference no.	842
Region	Europe and North America

Velia was the Roman name of an ancient city on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is located near the modern village of Novi Velia near Ascea in the Province of Salerno, Italy.

It was founded by Greeks from Phocaea as Hyele (Ancient Greek: Ὑέλη) around 538–535 BC. The name later changed to Ele and then Elea (/ˈɛliə/; Ancient Greek: Ἐλέα) before it became known by its current Latin and Italian name during the Roman era.

The city was known for being the home of the philosophers Parmenides and Zeno of Elea, as well as the Eleatic school of which they were a part.