Porticus Octaviae
The Porticus Octaviae (Portico of Octavia; Italian: Portico di Ottavia) is an ancient structure in Rome. The colonnaded walks of the portico enclosed the temples of Jupiter Stator and Juno Regina, as well as a library. The structure was used as a fish market from the medieval period up to the end of 19th century.
 The Porticus Octaviae in modern times | |
  .svg.png.webp){kind=icon} Porticus Octaviae Shown within Augustan Rome | |
Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | Regio IX Circus Flaminius |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°53′32.77″N 12°28′42.72″E |
| History | |
| Builder | Augustus |
| Founded | Imperial periods |
History
The structure was built by Augustus in the name of his sister, Octavia Minor, sometime after 27 BC,[1] in place of the Porticus Metelli. The colonnaded walks of the portico enclosed the temples of Jupiter Stator and Juno Regina, next to the Theater of Marcellus. It burned in 80 AD and was restored, probably by Domitian, and again after a second fire in 203 AD by Septimius Severus and Caracalla. It was adorned with foreign marble and contained many famous works of art, enumerated in Pliny's Natural History.[2] The structure was damaged by an earthquake in 442 AD, when two of the destroyed columns were replaced with an archway which still stands. A church was built in the ruins circa 770 AD.
Besides the pre-existing temples, the enclosure included a library erected by Octavia in memory of her son Marcus Claudius Marcellus, the curia Octaviae, and scholae (an assembly hall and lecture rooms). Whether these were different parts of one building, or entirely different structures, is uncertain. It was probably in the curia that the Senate is recorded as meeting.[3] The whole is referred to by Pliny the Elder as Octaviae opera.[4]
The portico's role as a fish market is remembered in the name of the annexed church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria (Italian: "the Holy Angel in the Fish Market").
The building, which lies in rione Sant'Angelo, represents the center of the Roman Ghetto.
References
- The statement of Cassius Dio that it was built after 33 BC from the spoils of the war in Dalmatia, is due to confusion with the Porticus Octavia.
- Pliny, xxxiv.31; xxxv.114, 139; xxxvi.15, 22, 24, 28, 29, 34, 35.
- Cassius Dio LV.8; Josephus, Jewish Wars. VII.5.4
- "Gaius Plinius Secundus, Dubius Sermo 36.15.1". latin.packhum.org. Retrieved Mar 18, 2023.
External links
Media related to Portico di Ottavia (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons
- LacusCurtius.com: Samuel Ball Platner, revised by Thomas Ashby, A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome: Porticus Octaviae
- The Portico of Octavia (etching by Giovanni Battista Piranesi) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City)
| Preceded by Portico Dii Consentes |
Landmarks of Rome Porticus Octaviae |
Succeeded by Tabularium |