Temple of Hercules Victor (Rome)

Temple of Hercules Victor in Rome

Missing column on the back

The temple of Hercules Victor ("victorious Hercules"; sometimes also called Hercules Olivarius ), it would be more appropriate to speak of round temple on the Tiber or round temple on the Forum Boarium , is an ancient temple in the Forum Boarium in Rome . The round temple, surrounded by columns on all sides, is the oldest marble structure preserved in Rome.

The resemblance to the remains of the Temple of Vesta in the Roman Forum led to the assumption that this was also a Vesta sanctuary . But the attribution to Hercules , who was highly venerated in Rome, is now certain. A fragmentary inscription on a statue base names Hercules Olivarius . This epithet may come from the fact that the client - a wealthy merchant named Marcus Octavius ​​Herrenus - may have traded in oil.

Built around 120 BC The temple has a diameter of 14.8 meters and consists of a central, circular cult room ( cella ) surrounded by 19 columns over ten meters high (one column is missing; it was perhaps used as a spoiler in another building) . The capitals are Corinthian , the bases of tufa stone .

These columns originally carried an architrave . Like the original roof, it has not been preserved. The walls and columns, however, date from the time it was built; they are the oldest preserved marble building in Rome.

In 1132 the temple was converted into a church dedicated to St. Stephen and thus preserved. It served as inspiration for many builders of the Renaissance . In the 17th century it was rededicated to Santa Maria del Sole .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ "The name of the temple results from its location near the Porta Trigemina and from a block with a partially preserved inscription that mentions the name of Hercules Olivarius." ( Arachne, University of Cologne; accessed on November 7, 2013 )

literature

• Filippo Coarelli : Rome. An archaeological guide. Zabern, Mainz 2000, pp. 308-310.
• Friedrich Rakob , Wolf-Dieter Heilmeyer : The round temple on the Tiber in Rome . Zabern, Mainz 1973, ISBN 978-3-8053-0068-1 (special publications of the German Archaeological Institute in Rome, vol. 2).
• Samuel Ball Platner , Thomas Ashby : Aedes Herculis Victoris . In: A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome . Oxford University Press, London 1929, pp. 256-258 ( online ).

Web links

Commons : Temple of Hercules Victor  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 19.5 "  N , 12 ° 28 ′ 50.7"  E