Was Beautiful Ancient City Of Terracina Home To The First Hellenistic Temple?

Conny Waters – MessageToEagle.com – When and where the first Hellenistic temple was constructed has long been a bit of archaeological puzzle, but the ancient and beautiful city of Terracina may offer some answers.

Once a long time ago, Terracina was a cosmopolitan city, most likely founded by the Etruscans.  Located south of Rome, in Italy Terracina became important attractive because of its strategic location on the water at the foot of the mountains.

Temples at the ancient city of Terracina. Credit: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

Before the birth of Christ, the town was of conflict between the Romans and the Volsci tribe, who named the town of Terracina Anxur. Struggles to gain control over Terracina lasted several centuries.

In and around Tarracina (today called Terracina) there are many ancient temples and Roman ruins that give glimpses into the lives of long-gone civilizations. While excavating high above the ancient city of Terracina), archaeologists discovered there was once a large-scale terraced sanctuary that included a small temple.

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Scientists from the Institute for Classical Archaeology at LMU Munich, Germany focused their attention on the small temple, and they have now successfully reconstructed the ancient building.

Studies show the structure was built during the second century BC. This makes it the oldest Hellenistic structure of this type in Latium, and perhaps the very first terraced temple in the region.

According to Paul Scheding, “the temple underlines the significance of Terracina at this time”.

Terracina Was The Site Of The First Hellenistic Temple

The city was obviously in contact with the most important Hellenistic cities in the Mediterranean, even before the Roman conquest of Latium.

Terracina is located south of Rome, Italy. Credit: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

The temple itself and Monte Sant’Angelo, the hill on which it was erected, was once reserved for religious ceremonies. The excavations have also confirmed that the temple’s façade was oriented, not towards the harbor, but towards the Via Appia and the city below.

“On important feast-days, processions left the city and climbed the hill to the temple,” says Scheding, and merchants and travelers also visited the temple.

Who Was The God Worshipped At This Hellenistic Temple?

The identity of the god to whom the temple was dedicated remains unknown, at least for now. The shrine is associated with an unusually large number of cisterns, but what the water was needed for remains unclear.

Scientists have uncovered traces of a pre-Roman settlement that dates back to the 7th or perhaps even as far as the 9th century B.C.

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Who lived here before the construction of the temple is also unknown as yet. Literary sources dating to the 6th century B.C attest to the presence of the Volsci in the area, but these people have not been definitively associated with any archaeological finds in the area.

More future archaeological discoveries may provide us with significant information offering a better understanding of Terracina’s interesting ancient history and cultural heritage.

Written by Conny Waters – MessageToEagle.com – AncientPages.com Staff Writer