_-_2021-08-25_-_1.jpg) Remains of the Temple of Peace | |
   Temple of Peace Shown within Augustan Rome | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Coordinates | 41°53′33″N12°29′15″E / 41.89262°N 12.48761°E /41.89262; 12.48761 |
|---|---|
TheTemple of Peace (Latin:Templum Pacis), also known as theForum of Vespasian (Latin:Forum Vespasiani), was built inRome in 71 AD under EmperorVespasian[1] in honour toPax, the Roman goddess of peace.
Positioned southeast of theRoman Forum, between theVia Sacra and theCarinae,[2] the temple stood on the southeast side of theArgiletum, offering a view of theVelian Hill and overlooking the renownedColosseum.
It housed artifacts such as theTable of Shewbread and theseven-branched menorah from theJerusalem Temple, which were taken as spoils during thesiege of Jerusalem in 70 CE.[2]
Statius claims that EmperorDomitian was largely responsible for the completion of the temple, not Vespasian - this issue remains controversial within the archaeological world today.[3] The Temple of Peace is part of theImperial Fora which is "a series of monumentalfora (public squares), constructed in Rome over a period of one and a half centuries." It is not officially considered aforum because there is no evidence of it serving a political function, therefore it is called a temple.
The funds to create this grand monument were acquired through Vespasian's sacking ofJerusalem during theJewish–Roman wars. The interior and surrounding buildings were decorated with the treasures collected there by the Roman army.[4] According toPliny the Elder, statues brought from Greece and Asia Minor byNero to furnish hisDomus Aurea also came to reside in the Temple of Peace. Among these were works by the Greek sculptorsPolykleitos,Phidias,Naukydes of Argos,Myron, andLeochares. The Severan-era bases and inscriptions from two of these statues survive: theGanymede of Leochares and thePythocles of Polykleitos.[5]
Because Vespasian was both a leading general and later appointed emperor during the first war, the Temple of Peace was especially important to him as a leader. A grand and significant monument such as this is vital to the promotion of a powerful, strong public image of the emperor, and is a symbol of the peace and prosperity Vespasian was able to bring the empire.
The temple was destroyed by fire in February 192 AD. It was subsequently restored bySeptimius Severus sometime around 203 AD. The halls were remodeled a century later, and were admired by the emperorConstantius II during his visit to Rome in 357 AD.[6]
If still in use by the 4th-century, the temple would have been closed during thepersecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire, when theChristian Emperors issued edicts prohibiting all non-Christian worship and sanctuaries.[7]
The Temple of Peace was damaged during the sack of Rome in 410 byAlaric I and was never restored after the event.[8] The historianProcopius writes that Alaric looted the emerald-encrusted treasures of Solomon, which, scholar Robert Coates-Stephens believes must have been stored in the complex, as the treasures comprised the main part of Flavian's original booty.[9]
The adjacentBasilica of Maxentius was long believed to be the actual temple. The archaeologistAntonio Nibby made the correct identification in the 19th century.[10]
Although very little remains of the Temple of Peace in Rome today, much about its structure and layout are known due to theForma Urbis, a large, detailed marble map of Rome and its buildings that was originally hung on a wall inside the temple itself in the 3rd century. The temple was made up of anapse that opened into a largeportico.Columns separated the temple from the central unpaved, grassy area. This was different from the majority of other fora, which were typically paved. This area probably featured gardens, pools, statues, and other treasures acquired during the conquest of Jerusalem.
Media related toTemple of Peace (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by Forum of Nerva | Landmarks of Rome Forum of Vespasian | Succeeded by Trajan's Forum |
Part of theJewish–Roman wars | |||||||||||
| Origins |  | ||||||||||
| Military engagements |
| ||||||||||
| Belligerents and leaders |
| ||||||||||
| Aftermath |
| ||||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
