The Temple of Jupiter closes the large Forum piazza on the North side.
It dates back to 2nd Century BC and shows a majestic podium with a staircase and the cella standing out on top; it housed the statue of Jupiter -of which only the head remains- dating back to approx. 80 BC. At that time the building was transformed into the Capitolium and dedicated to the cult of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, the Capitoline Triad.
The floor, in the cella as in the Temple of Apollo, was made of colored diamond-shaped stones giving the illusion of cubes in perspective. The podium was restored during the reign of Emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD) when it was also replaced a big altar in the Forum aligned with the temple
TEMPLE OF JUPITER / POMPEI
The temple had two narrow flights of stairs, one on either side of a large central dais where the altar stood, and two monumental balustrades with equestrian statues. A bas relief portraying the temple during the earthquake was found in the Lararium in the house of Caecilius Jucundus and gives us a glimpse of what the building was really like. Under the podium was a series of small chambers where the temple's sacred furnishings, votive offerings and perhaps also the Treasury were stored.
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