Temple of Divus Augustus

Coordinates: 41°53′30″N 12°29′04″E / 41.891616°N 12.484471°E / 41.891616; 12.484471
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other places with the same name, see Temple of Augustus.
Temple of Divus Augustus
Temple of Divus Augustus on a coin of Antoninus Pius issued circa AD 158
Temple of Divus Augustus is located in Rome
Temple of Divus Augustus
Temple of Divus Augustus
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LocationRegio VIII Forum Romanum
Coordinates41°53′30″N 12°29′04″E / 41.891616°N 12.484471°E / 41.891616; 12.484471
TypeRoman temple
History
BuilderTiberius/?Livia for Augustus
FoundedConstructed 37;
rebuilt 89/90;
restored late 150s

The Temple of Divus Augustus was a major

temple at Nola in Campania, where he died, seems to have been begun. Subsequently, temples were dedicated to him all over the Roman Empire
.

History

The temple's construction took place during the 1st century AD, having been vowed by the

Bay of Naples before he could set off for the capital. Ittai Gradel suggests that the long building phase of the temple was a sign of the painstaking effort that went into its construction.[5]

The long-awaited dedication took place in the last two days of August 37. According to the historian

Vestal Virgins.[8]

During the reign of

octastyle design with Corinthian capitals and two statues – presumably of Augustus and Livia – in the cella. The pediment displayed a relief featuring Augustus and was topped by a quadriga. Two figures stood on the eaves of the roof, that on the left representing Romulus and the one on the right depicting Aeneas leading his family out of Troy, alluding to Rome's origin-myth. The steps of the temple were flanked by two statues of Victory.[11]

The Temple of Divus Augustus was described in Latin literature as templum Augusti or divi Augusti, though Martial and Suetonius call it templum novum ("the new temple"), a name attested in the Acta Arvalia from AD 36. There are references to a library erected by Tiberius in the vicinity of the temple, called the bibliotecha templi novi or templi Augusti. Caligula was said to have later built a bridge connecting the Palatine and Capitoline hills, passing over the temple. Other than the well-attested cult statues of Augustus and Livia, little is known about the temple's decoration other than a reference by Pliny to a painting of Hyacinthus by Nicias of Athens, which was given to the temple by Tiberius.[12]

The last known reference to the temple was on 27 May 218; at some point thereafter it was completely destroyed and its stones were presumably quarried for later buildings. Its remains are not visible and the area in which it lay has never been excavated.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-19-288003-9
  2. ISBN 1-901965-05-8
  3. ^ a b Duncan Fishwick, "On the Temple of Divus Augustus". Phoenix, Vol. 46, No. 3 (Autumn, 1992), pp. 232–255
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-415-04229-1
  5. ISBN 0-19-815275-2
  6. ^ Cass. Dio 59.7.4
  7. ISBN 0-300-07429-8
  8. ISBN 0-226-26094-1
    ; Cassius Dio 60.5.2.
  9. ISBN 0-582-32816-0
  10. ISBN 0-19-924094-9
  11. ISBN 1-902040-45-7
  12. ^ Tom Buggey, "Ancient Coins: Antoninus Pius denarius Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine".

Further reading

  • Fishwick, Duncan. 1999. "The "Temple of Augustus" at Tarraco." Latomus 58.1: 121-138.
  • Gradel, Ittai. 2002. Emperor Worship and Roman Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Koortbojian, Michael. 2013. The Divinization of Caesar and Augustus: Precedents, Consequences, Implications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Library resources about
Temple of Divus Augustus
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