- The Temple of Jupiter was the most important Temple in Rome, built on the sacred Capitoline Hill.
- Jupiter. King of all the Gods, Juno, his Queen and Minerva, his daughter, were known as the Capitoline Triad of Gods.
History
- The Temple of Jupiter was built in 509 BCE on a massive scale to reflect the prestige of Jupiter as king of all the Gods.
- It was burnt down three times and rebuilt for the fourth and last time by Domitian in 82 CE.
- The ‘Amphora Capitolina’ was kept in the Temple of Jupiter. It was the Standard Amphora, against which all Amphorae used in the Roman Empire were measured.
The Roman Site
- Only parts of the temple podium and foundations remain today.
- They are located in the Capitoline Museums behind the Palazzo dei Conservatori.
The Capitoline Hill
- Two other Temples existed on the Hill.
- Temple of Veiovis
- This was a small Temple.
- Temple of Saturn.
- The Temple of Saturn was the location of the Aerarium or State Treasury of Rome.
- Tabularium
- Below the Temple of Jupiter was the Tabularium, the Roman Public Record Office, built in 78 BCE.
- The Ludi Capitolini
- These were the Capitoline Games, which started out from the Capitoline Hill to celebrate the release of Rome from the Gauls in 390 BCE.
Temple of Jupiter