Roman temples

Грачева А.Д.

Roman temples housed the cult of a deity and formed part of the public space of a city. Their plans varied with period, local tradition and site: rectangular buildings stood alongside round ones, and single temples alongside large sanctuary complexes. A high podium, frontal stairway and strongly marked entrance axis are characteristic of many Italic temples. They are not a rule for every monument; Roman architecture changed over time and drew on Greek and Hellenistic forms.

Four temples survive in Rome's Largo Argentina sacred area. Archaeologists label them A, B, C and D because their dedications cannot all be established with equal certainty. Temple C, usually dated to the early third century BCE, is the oldest and is often associated with Feronia. Temple A dates to about the middle of that century, D to the early second century, and the round Temple B to the late second century BCE. Later rebuilding altered the group, but its varied plans within a shared sacred precinct show how several temples could form an urban ensemble. Vitruvius discusses temple approaches and the proportions of steps; his prescriptions should not be mistaken for an exact description of every surviving building.

The sacred site of Largo Argentina. III century BC Rome. Modern look

At ancient Tibur, now Tivoli, two Republican temples stand close together on the edge of a rocky plateau. The round building is traditionally called the Temple of Vesta, although its dedication is not proved; the local hero Tiburnus has also been proposed. Eighteen Corinthian columns once encircled its cella, of which only some remain. Its rectangular neighbour is usually known as the Temple of the Sibyl. Two Ionic columns survive from its original façade. Together the monuments show the variety of temple forms in one place and the importance of terrain: the elevated site and the view were part of the sanctuary's setting.

The round temple's freestanding colonnade differs from a rectangular temple approached chiefly from the front. Descriptions should therefore distinguish a true surrounding colonnade from attached columns or engaged half-columns, and note the podium and stairway separately. Familiar modern names do not always reveal an ancient dedication.

The so-called Temple of Vesta at Tivoli, late Republic, 1st century BCE. Its circular cella, Corinthian colonnade and high podium combine the Greek tholos form with Italic frontality.

The so-called Temple of Vesta on Tivoli’s acropolis, first century BCE. The round temple’s dedication remains uncertain.

Two temples on Tivoli’s acropolis: the rectangular building traditionally called the Temple of the Sibyl and the round so-called Temple of Vesta. Their ancient dedications remain debated.

The sanctuary near Terracina, traditionally called the Temple of Jupiter Anxur, used a rocky slope and massive arched substructures. These levelled the site and made the complex visible from afar. Surviving walls and terraces reveal its construction, while the upper parts of the buildings require reconstruction. The precise dedication has also been debated, so “Temple of Jupiter Anxur” is best understood as a conventional name.

A much larger example is the sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia at Praeneste, modern Palestrina. Ramps and stairways linked artificial terraces rising up the hillside. Porticoes, cult rooms and spaces for visitors formed part of the complex; later buildings have obscured some of its ancient levels. Roman concrete construction here combined with a Hellenistic taste for dramatic hillside composition. The archaeology records more than one building phase, so the surviving ensemble should not be treated as the product of a single date or design.

Temple complex of Jupiter Anxur at Terracina, 1st century BC; modern view of the sanctuary.

Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia at Praeneste, modern Palestrina, late 2nd-early 1st century BCE. Terraces, stairs, ramps and vaulted substructures organise movement up the hillside.

A religious complex in Praeneste. Temple of Fortune. I century BC Palestrina. Reconstruction.

Two well-preserved Republican temples stand near Rome's Forum Boarium. The rectangular Temple of Portunus rises on a high podium. Its Ionic façade and frontal stairway face the approaching visitor, while engaged columns along the side walls suggest a continuous colonnade. This arrangement is called pseudoperipteral. The building was once commonly called the Temple of Fortuna Virilis, an obsolete identification.

The neighbouring round temple was dedicated to Hercules Victor. It was often misnamed the Temple of Vesta solely because of its circular plan. Marble Corinthian columns surrounded its round cella. The building changed over time, including after its conversion into a Christian church. These two temples do not represent a single standard “Roman” plan: they show different forms coexisting in one commercial and sacred district. Surviving fabric and ancient texts help us discuss their function, materials and building phases, but not every feature visible today should be assumed to be original.

Temple of Portunus in the Forum Boarium at Rome, late 2nd-early 1st century BCE. The building combines a high podium and frontal stair with the Ionic order and a pseudoperipteral plan.

Round Temple of Hercules Victor in Rome’s Forum Boarium. Its former identification as a Temple of Vesta rested on its circular plan.

Temple of Portunus and the round Temple of Hercules Victor in Rome’s Forum Boarium. Both buildings date to the Republican period.

Literature and sources

Vitruvius. On Architecture. Books 3–4. Rome Archaeological Superintendency: Largo Argentina sacred area. National Archaeological Museum of Palestrina: Sanctuary of Fortuna Primigenia. Turismo Roma: Forum Boarium; Temple of Portunus.

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Roman temples

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Literature and sources