 The Porticus Octaviae in modern times | |
   Porticus Octaviae Shown within Augustan Rome | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | Regio IX Circus Flaminius |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°53′32.77″N12°28′42.72″E / 41.8924361°N 12.4785333°E /41.8924361; 12.4785333 |
| History | |
| Builder | Augustus |
| Founded | Imperial periods |
ThePorticus Octaviae (Latin for the 'Portico of Octavia';Italian:Portico di Ottavia) is an ancient structure inRome. The colonnaded walks of the portico enclosed theTemples of Juno Regina (north) andJupiter Stator (south), as well as a library. The structure was used as afish market from the medieval period up to the end of the 19th century.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(July 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
After celebrating histriumph for his 146 BCvictory at Scarpheia during theAchaean War,Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus constructed aportico aroundM. Aemilius Lepidus'sTemple of Juno Regina, near theCircus Flaminius in the southernCampus Martius and erected a newTemple of Jupiter Stator beside it. He decorated both with equestrian statues ofAlexander the Great's generals brought back from Greece. This portico was known as thePortico of Metellus (Porticus Metelli) orPortico of Caecilius (Porticus Caecilii).
Augustus refurbished the portico and its temples and rededicated it to his sisterOctavia the Younger sometime after 27 BC.Cassius Dio stated that this was done in 33 BC from the spoils of the war inDalmatia out of confusion with the adjacentPortico of Octavius (Porticus Octavia), which was similarly refurbished and rededicated by Augustus and his stepbrotherL. Marcius Philippus. Besides the temples, the portico included aGreek andLatin library erected by Octavia in memory of her sonMarcus Claudius Marcellus, an assembly hall (Curia Octaviae), and lecture rooms (scholae). Whether these were different parts of one building or entirely different structures is uncertain. TheRoman Senate met in the curia.[1] The whole is referred to byPliny the Elder as the works of Octavia (Octaviae opera).[2]
The portico and its buildings burned in AD 80[dubious –discuss] and were restored, probably byDomitian. After a second fire in 203, they were restored again bySeptimius Severus andCaracalla. It was adorned with foreign marble and contained many famous works of art, enumerated inPliny'sNatural History.[3] The structure was damaged by an earthquake in 442 when two of the destroyed columns were replaced with an archway that still stands. The church ofSant'Angelo in Pescheria was built on its ruinsc. 770,[citation needed] the name commemorating the portico's medieval and early modern role as a fish market. The building, which lies in theSant'Angelorione, represented the center of the medievalRoman Ghetto.
| Preceded by Portico Dii Consentes | Landmarks of Rome Porticus Octaviae | Succeeded by Tabularium |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
