A Temple
B Altar
C Well
D Basins
E Entrance corridor to the Terme del Nuotatore
F Portico
The sanctuary, dedicated to the ancient goddess of agricultural fertility and health, was surrounded by a wall 3 since hers was a mystery cult. The oldest features date to the 2nd century BC, but in its current configuration with a porch in opus reticulatum and brick columns the temple (A) dates to the 1st century AD. Also of this period is the dedication to the goddess, on the sanctuary’s well (C), on which we read the name of Terentia, a noblewoman of the Augustan period belonging to one of Ostia’s most important families. The sanctuary had a portico (F) with wall paintings in which some small rooms were installed in the late 2nd century AD. The cult of the goddess, reserved exclusively for women and also practiced in another sanctuary in the city, remained active until the 4th century AD.
Perspectival section of the porch and cella of the temple (A)
(A. Pascolini)
Drawing of the well (C) with an inscription with a dedication to the goddess
(A. Pascolini)
Detail of the paintings from the portico (F)
Paintings from the portico (F) dating to the second half of the 1st century AD .
Axonometric projection of the sanctuary (A. Pascolini)
Drawing of the altar at the time of its discovery (A. Pascolini)
Valeria Hetaera inscription
Inscription relating to interventions paid for by the matron Octavia