A Previously Unidentified Tuff in the Archaic Temple Podium at Sant'Omobono, Rome and its Broader Implications

Authors

  • Paolo Brocato Università della Calabria
  • Daniel P. Diffendale University of Missouri
  • Desirè Di Giuliomaria Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn
  • Mario Gaeta Università di Roma “La Sapienza”
  • Fabrizio Marra Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia
  • Nicola Terrenato University of Michigan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jma.39330

Keywords:

archaic period, early Rome, geoarchaeology, petrography, temple construction

Abstract

This study reports on the discovery that the podium of the archaic temple in the Forum Boarium of Rome was built with a previously unknown tuff, of non-local origin. On the basis of detailed comparative petrographic and geochemical tests, it has been established that the blocks employed to build the earliest temple so far discovered in Rome belonged to a distinctive facies of tufo lionato that had never been characterized before, in contrast to what was reported by previous excavators. The blocks must have come from a quarry in the Anio River Valley, several kilometers from the construction site, making the Sant'Omobono temple the earliest known Roman building that extensively employed imported materials. The metrology of the blocks is also unique. This particular volcanic stone was probably chosen for its much greater resistance to weathering compared to the local tuffs, a trait that was essential in the flood-prone location, not far from the Tiber riverbank, where the temple was situated. The labor-intensive sourcing may also explain the dainty size of the temple podium in comparison to other sixth-century bc temples in the region. The choice made by the builders indicates far greater sophistication and technical awareness than they have generally been credited with. The new discovery is placed in the context of the quickly accumulating archaeological record of sixth-century bc Rome, which suggests a dramatic increase in the number and scale of monumental projects in the expanding city.

Author Biographies

  • Paolo Brocato, Università della Calabria

    Paolo Brocato is Associate Professor of Etruscan and Pre-Roman Archaeology at the Università della Calabria and co-director of the Sant'Omobono Project. He has published extensively on Etruscan tombs, early Rome and the archaeology of Calabria.

  • Daniel P. Diffendale, University of Missouri

    Daniel P. Diffendale is a Research Fellow in Ancient Mediterranean Studies at the University of Missouri. He has conducted fieldwork in Greece and Italy, including at Pompeii and Sant'Omobono, and has published on this work. He wrote his PhD dissertation on the mid-Republican phases of the twin temples at Sant'Omobono.

  • Desirè Di Giuliomaria, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

    Desirè Di Giuliomaria is a doctoral student at the University of Bonn. She has conducted fieldwork in Greece and Rome and is a specialist in architectural terracottas. Her dissertation deals with roofing decorative systems in Archaic Rome.

  • Mario Gaeta, Università di Roma “La Sapienza”

    Mario Gaeta is Associate Professor of Geochemistry and Volcanology at the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’. He has published extensively on the petrology of thermometamorphic rocks and of magmatism in Sardinia and Central Italy.

  • Fabrizio Marra, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia

    Fabrizio Marra is a Senior Researcher at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome. He has published extensively on quaternary stratigraphy and geochronology, volcanology, past climate changes and geoarchaeology

  • Nicola Terrenato, University of Michigan

    Nicola Terrenato is the Esther B. Van Deman Collegiate Professor of Roman Studies at the University of Michigan and co-director of the Sant'Omobono Project. He has published extensively on mid-Republican archaeology, early Rome and Roman imperialism.

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Published

2019-07-16

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Brocato, P., Diffendale, D. P., Di Giuliomaria, D., Gaeta, M., Marra, F., & Terrenato, N. (2019). A Previously Unidentified Tuff in the Archaic Temple Podium at Sant’Omobono, Rome and its Broader Implications. Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, 32(1), 114-136. https://doi.org/10.1558/jma.39330