Change in the shadows

A bit to the west of the forum is the Round Temple. It was unearthed a long time ago, in the years 1802-1804. The remains are meagre, and most visitors of Ostia will perhaps not even be aware it's there, will not realize they are walking past a small Pantheon behind a large forecourt. The archaeologists are undecided whether the temple was erected by the last Severan Emperor, Alexander Severus (222-235 AD), or Gordianus III (238-244 AD).

The remains of the Round Temple, seen from the north-west. Top right, below trees, are the remains of the round cella.
Photo: Bing Maps.

Reconstruction by Angelo Coccettini: the temple seen from the north-west.

Alexander Severus was succeeded by Maximinus Thrax (the Thracian), who had risen from the ranks in the army and was the first soldier Emperor. Much of his short reign was taken up by fighting at the Rhine and Danube frontiers, which obviously required a lot of money. There were riots in Rome. Already in 238 AD the senate proclaimed father and son Gordianus (I and II) Emperor, while Maximinus was still alive. However, in the same year the two Gordiani were killed in North Africa. The senate then elected Pupienus and Balbinus as new Emperors, with the nephew of the younger Gordianus (III) as caesar. Maxentius was killed by the army, but the Praetorian Guard killed the two new Emperors and - still in 238 - declared Gordianus III, then 13 years old, Emperor. A leading figure was from now on the Praetorian Prefect, Timesitheus. Gordianus died in 244.

In or near the Round Temple two large portraits of Alexander Severus and Gordianus III were found in the years 1871-1872. They belonged to statues that were about 3.50 m. high, and were clearly made by the same sculptor. The obvious original location, albeit hypothetical, is the temple. The portrait of Alexander Severus is probably posthumous. He was deified after a short damnatio memoriae during the reign of Maximinus Thrax. An inscription found in the temple mentions the wife of Gordianus III, Furia Sabinia Tranquillina. Another inscription was set up here in honour of Publius Licinius Cornelius Valerianus, the oldest son of Gallienus (Emperor from 253 to 268 AD). The temple must have been dedicated primarily to the Imperial cult.

In Ostia two more dedications to Gordianus III were found, and two more to his wife. Two of these inscriptions are on statue bases in the shrine of the Imperial cult in the Barracks of the Fire Brigade. The one for Tranquillina was dedicated by the cohortes septem vigilum Gordianae, the "seven Gordian cohorts of fire-fighters".

In the 16th century a dedication in Greek to Gordianus by the city of Gaza was discovered in Portus. It has disappeared since. The person responsible for the dedication, Tiberius Claudius Papirius, appears in a second dedication from Portus, on a short granite column. In both inscriptions we encounter the main protective deity of Gaza, Marnas, and we may safely deduce the presence of a shrine of Marnas in Portus. Apart from that there may also be a link between Gaza, a harbour city and traffic node, and a Persian war waged by Gordianus.

Ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ Αὐτοκράτορα Καίσαρα Μ(ᾶρκον) Ἀντώνιον Γορδιανὸν Εὐσεβῆ Εὐτυχῆ Σεβαστὸν τὸν θεοφιλέστατον κοσμοκράτορα ἡ πόλις ἡ τῶν Γαζαίων ἱερὰ καὶ ἄσυλος καὶ αὐτόνομος, πιστή, εὐσεβής, λαμπρὰ καὶ μεγάλη, ἐξ ἐνκελεύσεως τοῦ πατρίου θεοῦ τὸν ἑαυτῆς εὐεργέτην διὰ Τιβ(ερίου) Κλ(αυδίου) Παπειρίου ἐπιμελητοῦ τοῦ ἱεροῦ For Good Luck. Imperator Caesar Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius Felix Augustus, the most god-beloved ruler of the world, (is honoured by) the city of the Gazaeans, (which is) holy, providing refuge, autonomous, loyal, pious, glorious and great, on the strength of an order of their ancestral god. (She honours) her benefactor, through Tib(erius) Cl(audius) Papirius, warden of the sanctuary. Greek dedication to Agathe Tuche for Gordianus III by the city of Gaza. Portus. 238-244 AD. EDR118501. Translation Gerard Mussies (ANRW).

(Aramaic letter for Marnas) Τιβ(έριος) [Κ]λ(αύδιος) Παπείριος ἐπιμελητεύσας ἐκ [τ]ῶν ἰδίων ἀνέθηκα To Marnas. Tiberius Claudius Papirius, warden, at his own expense placed this. Greek dedication to Marnas by Tiberius Claudius Papirius. Portus. 231-270 AD. EDR118745. Photo: EDH.

The uncertainties surrounding the dating of the Round Temple have consequences for the neighbouring building I,X,4. Its date is based primarily on the similarity of the masonry with that of the temple, so that it too belongs to the reign of Alexander Severus, or is somewhat later. The building was owned by the stuppatores, the guild of the rope-makers and caulkers. The adjacent building I,X,3 was a workshop of these men. Building 4 was begun as a standard guild temple. It was entered through a vestibule flanked by shops. In the centre was a small courtyard surrounded by a porticus. Behind that the actual temple was projected. Perhaps it was to be dedicated to Minerva: the corpus stuppatorum in Portus worshipped Minerva Augusta as conservatrix et antistites corporis, "defender and overseer of the guild".

Plan of block X with the workshop of the stuppatores (3) and the projected guild temple (4).
North is to the left. The Round Temple is just visible, top left.

NVMINI EVIDENTISSIMO MINERVAE AVG(ustae) SACRVM CONSERVATRICI ET ANTISTITI SPLENDIDIS SIMI CORPORIS STVPPATORVM ORNA TAM OMNI CVLTV D(ono) D(ederunt) MARCII IVLII CARPVS PATR(o)N(us) CARPVS [f(ilius)] CORP(oratus) AMAT(ii) RVFINIAN(us) HON(oratus) FIRMVS HON(oratus)

To the divine power, most evident, of Minerva Augusta, dedicated. To the defender and overseer of the very illustrious guild of the caulkers (the shrine?), adorned with complete decoration, was donated by Marcus Iulius Carpus, patron, his son Carpus, member, Amatius Rufinianus, honorary member, and Firmus, honorary member.

Dedication to Minerva by the stuppatores of Portus.
Found in 1870 in Portus. EDCS-05700044.

The cella of the temple was never built however, construction stopped when the podium upon which it should rest was finished. Apparently there was a lack of money. Perhaps the problems were triggered by an earthquake in or shortly after 238 AD, to which we shall return later. Surprisingly a mithraeum was then installed inside the podium of the temple (the room with number 4 on the plan). Two fragments of the dedicatory inscription were found on the road, and give us part of the name of the man who was responsible: ...rius Fructosus, patron of the guild. The installation of the shrine can unfortunately not be dated precisely. Instead of bricks (opus latericium), bricks and small tufa stones (opus vittatum) was applied, suggesting that some time had elapsed.

The position of the mithraeum is remarkable. It is not, as usual, hidden and tucked away, but takes the prominent position of the temple. Surely this was a conscious decision by Fructosus. It is confirmed by the dedicatory inscription, in which the mithraeum is called a templum et spelaeum Mithrae, " temple and cave of Mithras". Mithraea are regularly called temples or caves, but the combination of the two words is not documented elsewhere. Not only did the stuppatores replace a traditional god such as Minerva by the mystical Mithras, they also physically gave their protective deity a traditional, central place, which was then stressed in the inscription.

The excavator of the mithraeum, Giovanni Becatti, draws our attention to a possible parallel. In the Baths of the Philosopher a temple, perhaps of a guild, was built around 200 AD. It was demolished in the years 235-250 AD and replaced by rooms that may have housed a school of philosophers.