Temple of Castor and Pollux, Forum Romanum, Rome, Italy

Date

Forum: 7th century BCE-7th century CE; Temple: ca. 500 BCE-1st Century CE

Description

The Temple of Castor and Pollux introduced the Greek cult of the dioscuri to Rome. This peripteral temple had an octastyle portico on a raised podium faced with Pentelic marble. The three existing columns are of Pentelic marble and are 48 ft 5 inches high and have unique Corinthian capitals. The archaic temple was completely reconstructed and enlarged in 117 BCE by L. Cecilius Metellus Dalmaticus after his victory over the Dalmatians. This second temple was again restored in 73 BCE by Gaius Verres, and in 14 BCE the temple was destroyed by a fire that ravaged major parts of the forum. The Forum Romanum was the political and economic center of Rome during the Republic_access; it held many of the central political, religious and judicial buildings in Rome. It is located in a valley between Capitoline Hill on the west, Palatine Hill on the south, the Velia on the east, and Quirinal Hill and the Esquiline Hill to the north. The Archivision Collection of Ancient Sites was funded by the Jack Martin Balcer Library Endowment. Keywords: Italy, Roma, Rome, Roman Forum, Foro Romano, Templum Castorum, Aedes Castoris, Discuri, Castors, Mediterranean. Photographed by Scott Gilchrist, Archivision.

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