Image: Etrusco-Roman temple, first built around the late 4th century BC, destroyed by fire in the 1st century BC and rebuilt by the Romans under Augustus, Roman Faesulae, Fiesole, Italy (19693629715)

Description: The Temple stands opposite the spa. In Roman times, the two were linked by a road. There was a pre-Roman temple, a building from the Etruscan era built around the late 4th Century B.C. which was much smaller and simpler in layout with a single cell – the holy chamber – which housed the image of the divinity. This cell had two adjacent rooms. Outside there was a colonnade accessed by climbing up steps that still exist today. The floor was in beaten earth and the walls were coated with red plaster. The votive offerings came from the cell and comprised small bronzes and coins now exhibited in the museum. There was an altar in front of the temple. The Etruscan building was roofed in flat and rounded tiles and its gable had a relief decoration very little of which still remains. It is thought that the temple was dedicated to a beneficial divinity, perhaps Minerva. This building was destroyed by fire in the first Century B.C. when the Romans conquered Fiesole and a new, bigger temple was built in its place. On the southern side there was a rectangular area, the stoà, for pilgrims to rest. Indeed in ancient times only the priest was allowed inside the temple.
Title: Etrusco-Roman temple, first built around the late 4th century BC, destroyed by fire in the 1st century BC and rebuilt by the Romans under Augustus, Roman Faesulae, Fiesole, Italy (19693629715)
Credit: Etrusco-Roman temple, first built around the late 4th century BC, destroyed by fire in the 1st century BC and rebuilt by the Romans under Augustus, Roman Faesulae, Fiesole, Italy
Author: Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
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