The Capitolium - Brescia, Italy
N 45° 32.377 E 010° 13.552
32T E 595705 N 5043628
This temple complex, built on top of an earlier, smaller temple dating from Republican times, was probably the Capitolium of the city.
Waymark Code: WMHCZ9
Location: Lombardia, Italy
Date Posted: 06/25/2013
Views: 4
The Piazza del Foro (Forum Square) marks the site of the Roman-time forum: on the short north side, on the side of the Colle Cidneo (Cidneo Hill), stands a Corinthian temple with three cellae, which was rediscovered starting in 1823. It was erected by Vespasian in 73 AD.
The Capitolium had been used to house the Brescia Roman museum.
Brixia is the Latin name of the modern city of Brescia in Northern Italy.
he small village of the beginning was already a sizable town when the Romans defeated the Italian Gauls in the 3rd century BC and annexed their territory, although, after their fashion, letting them keep most of their traditions and customs. The Gauls of Brescia became then a reliable ally, which gained them already in the 1st century BC the status of Roman citizens and their city the title of municipium. This meant that the people of Brescia were entitled to a degree of self-administration and that the city was the seat of local Roman authorities (which held their office in the local Curia).
The Capitolium, was a religious site and the monumental centre of ancient Brixia. The building was situated on the decumanus maximus (on the line of Via Musei). It is a temple with three chambers, where the Capitoline trinity of deities was worshipped, and is based on the plan of the underlying Republican temple (probably constructed in 80-70 BC, soon after Roman citizenship was granted in 89 BC), which has also been brought to light by the archaeological excavations. It seems that the Capitolium originally had four chambers, a peculiarity due to the form of the preceding Republican temple, the easternmost of which was demolished to make way for an extension of the theatre. This fourth cella was probably used for the worship of a local deity, perhaps a Celtic god such as Bergimo, or maybe Hercules, given that there existed an oral tradition of referring to the Capitolium as the Temple of Hercules.
Inside marble fragments of an enormous male statue were found; others have come to light recently. The most probable intriguing explanation is that these came from a sculpture of the enthroned Capitoline Jupiter Optimus Maximus which dominated the central chamber; such a statue would have been modelled on that in the Capitoline temple in Rome, copies of which were installed in religious buildings throughout the empire.
The temple was reached by means of two flights of stairs, and overlooked the forum and basilica. Cidneo Hill thus provided a dramatic background to the setting, in the style of Hellenistic architectural models. The surrounding area, once the Roman city centre, contains the remains of numerous monumental buildings of importance for civil, social and economic life, such as the theatre, which was used for entertainment and public meetings and is calculated to have held fifteen thousand people. The forum, in front of the Capitolium (under Piazza del Foro), housed Brixia’s market and was the centre of commerce; it was surrounded by arcades lined with shops and closed to the south by the basilica, the ancient law court.
Most Relevant Historical Period: Roman Empire > 27 B.C.
Admission Fee: €4 or Combined ticket with the Museum Santa Giulia
Opening days/times:
8th March – 15th June
Tuesday – Sunday
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(last admission 4:00 p.m.)
16th June – 30th June
Tuesday – Sunday
11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
(last admission 6:00 p.m.)
1st July – 30Th September
Friday – Saturday – Sunday
11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
(last admission 6:00 p.m.)
Tuesday – Wednesday - Thursday
1st admission at 12 a.m. and 2nd admission at 4 p.m.
15th August 2013
11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
(last admission 6:00 p.m.)
1st October – 29th December
Friday – Saturday – Sunday
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(last admission 4:00 p.m.)
26th December 2013
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(last admission 4:00 p.m.)
Web Site: [Web Link]
Condition: Partly intact or reconstructed
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