King Lucius Tarquinius Priscus stood on the Capitoline Hill in 509 BC and vowed to build a temple while fighting the Sabines. This vow marked the beginning of Rome's most sacred structure. Ancient sources say the king began terracing the hill to support the foundations. Modern coring confirms that workers excavated massive amounts of Cappellaccio tufa directly from the site to create a level building area. The last King of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, completed the foundations and superstructure. Before construction began, shrines to other gods occupied this spot. Augurs performed rites to move them, but Terminus and Juventas refused to leave. Their refusal became a favorable omen for the future Roman state. Workers digging the foundations reportedly saw a man's head appear. Augurs interpreted this as a sign that Rome would become the head of a great empire. The temple was dedicated on the 13th of September 509 BC by Marcus Horatius Pulvillus. Some ancient writers claim it was consecrated two years later in 507 BC. In 495 BC, Latins delivered a gold crown to the temple as gratitude for releasing prisoners.
Architectural Evolution
The first version of the temple burned down in 83 BC during civil wars under Sulla. Sulla had looted Athens in 86 BC and seized gigantic incomplete columns from the Temple of Zeus. He transported these columns back to Rome for reuse. Whether he used all the columns remains unconfirmed because they were extraordinarily long. Quintus Lutatius Catulus dedicated the second structure in 69 BC. This new building followed the same plan but used more expensive materials. Literary sources indicate the temple was not fully completed until the late 60s BC. Fires in subsequent centuries necessitated further reconstructions. The third temple only lasted five years before burning again in 80 AD. Vespasian rebuilt it with a Corinthian order and statuary including a quadriga atop the gable. Domitian began rebuilding immediately after the fire with the most lavish superstructure yet. He used at least twelve thousand talents of gold for gilding bronze roof tiles alone. The fourth temple survived until the fall of the empire. Remains of the last temple were pillaged for spolia in the Middle Ages. Only elements of the foundations and podium survive today.