Temple of Jupiter

The Temple of Jupiter closes the large Forum piazza on the North side.

It dates back to 2nd Century BC and shows a majestic podium with a staircase and the cella standing out on top; it housed the statue of Jupiter -of which only the head remains- dating back to approx. 80 BC. At that time the building was transformed into the Capitolium and dedicated to the cult of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, the Capitoline Triad.

The floor, in the cella as in the Temple of Apollo, was made of colored diamond-shaped stones giving the illusion of cubes in perspective. The podium was restored during the reign of Emperor Tiberius (14-37 AD) when it was also replaced a big altar in the Forum aligned with the temple