Temple of Saturn
The Temple of Saturn has stood at the foot of the Capitoline Hill for more than two thousand years, its eight surviving columns one of the most recognized silhouettes in the ancient world. Dedicated traditionally in 497 BC, it outlasted the Republic that built it, the Empire that rebuilt it, and the fires that twice nearly destroyed it. What drew Rome to this particular god, on this particular hill? And why, long after the last worshippers had gone, did the Senate commission a fresh restoration? The answers reach into Roman ideas about wealth, time, and the world as it once was.
Construction at the site is thought to have begun under Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome, in the final years of the Roman Kingdom. The inauguration, carried out by the consul Titus Larcius, fell in the early years of the Republic. That timing gave the temple a singular place in Roman memory: it was the oldest Republican temple after the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Long before the columned building rose, an altar of Saturn already occupied the ground, and ancient tradition held that this altar connected Saturn to the very founding of the city on Capitoline Hill. Munatius Plancus then undertook a complete reconstruction in 42 BC, producing what Romans of the late Republic would have recognized as the temple's second major form.
A fire in 360 AD burned through the temple, and what stands today is the structure raised after that destruction. The inscription carved into the frieze names the occasion plainly: "The Senate and People of Rome restored the temple consumed by fire." That phrase, Senatus Populusque Romanus incendio consumptum restituit, is still legible on the pediment. Scholars read the late fourth-century rebuilding as an expression of pagan revivalism, a deliberate gesture at a time when traditional Roman religion was under increasing pressure. The temple would eventually be closed when the persecution of pagans swept through the late Roman Empire.
Saturn ruled during the Golden Age in Roman mythology, and the association between the god and wealth was practical as well as theological. The temple housed the aerarium, the treasury where the Roman Republic kept its reserves of gold and silver. State archives and the official insignia and scale used for weighing metals were stored there as well. Over time the aerarium was relocated to another building, and the archives moved to the nearby Tabularium. Even so, the temple's podium, built of concrete covered with travertine, found continued use: bills were posted on its surface for the public to read.
Collapse has stripped most of the temple away, leaving the front porch as the principal remnant. The eight standing columns and the partially preserved pediment carry the marks of a structure assembled from pieces of other buildings. Egyptian granite shafts form the column bodies. A late Republican acanthus frieze was incorporated into the fabric. The Ionic column capitals were carved in the Late Antique style, visually different from the earlier material around them. Only those capitals were made fresh for the restoration; everything else came from structures that had served another purpose first.
Inside the temple, a statue of Saturn stood veiled and equipped with a scythe, following the conventions of the god's cult images. The figure was made of wood and filled with oil. Bands of wool covered its legs for almost the entire year. On the 17th of December, the first day of the Saturnalia, those bands were removed. The Saturnalia was the feast day dedicated to Saturn, and its customs were unlike those of any other Roman festival: slaves were granted temporary freedom, and family members exchanged gifts with one another. The holiday drew its meaning directly from Saturn's mythological reign, a time imagined as one of equality and ease before the harsher order of the present world.
Common questions
When was the Temple of Saturn originally dedicated?
The original dedication of the Temple of Saturn is traditionally dated to 497 BC, though ancient writers disagreed about the site's early history. Its inauguration was carried out by the consul Titus Larcius in the early years of the Roman Republic.
What did the Temple of Saturn house in ancient Rome?
The Temple of Saturn housed the aerarium, the Roman Republic's treasury, where reserves of gold and silver were stored. It also held the state archives, official insignia, and the scale used for weighing metals, though the aerarium and archives were later moved to other buildings.
Who rebuilt the Temple of Saturn in 42 BC?
Munatius Plancus completely reconstructed the Temple of Saturn in 42 BC. The structure standing today is a later phase, built after a fire in 360 AD and commemorated by an inscription on the frieze.
What does the inscription on the Temple of Saturn say?
The inscription on the frieze of the Temple of Saturn reads "Senatus Populusque Romanus incendio consumptum restituit," meaning "The Senate and People of Rome restored the temple consumed by fire." It commemorates the rebuilding after the fire of 360 AD.
What is the connection between the Temple of Saturn and the Saturnalia festival?
The temple housed a cult statue of Saturn whose legs were bound in wool for most of the year; the bands were removed on the 17th of December, the first day of the Saturnalia. During this festival, slaves were granted temporary freedom and family members exchanged gifts.
What materials were used to build the surviving Temple of Saturn?
The surviving Temple of Saturn was largely built using spolia, materials taken from other buildings. These include Egyptian granite column shafts and a late Republican acanthus frieze. Only the Ionic column capitals were newly carved in the Late Antique style.
All sources
3 references cited across the entry
- 1BookRome and Environs: An Archaeological Guide.Filippo Coarelli
- 2BookRome: An Oxford Archaeological GuideAmanda Claridge — 2010