Fors Fortuna, Fanum

A Republican temple, or temples, dedicated to Fors Fortuna in *Trans Tiberim, presumably somewhere along the *Via Campana (later via Portuensis), which presents severe topographical problems. Two archaic temples of Fors Fortuna are known to have been built on the Via Campana, one founded by Servius Tullius at the first milestone (Savage 31-35 esp. n.52, n.61; Varro, Ling. 6.17: fanum Fortis Fortunae), and the other by an unknown dedicator at the sixth milestone. The latter is not to be considered here, since it falls well outside the city. Two later temples to Fors Fortuna followed the early foundations mentioned above. The first one is known from a contract dating to 293 B.C. by Spurius Carvilius which specifically mentions a temple near that of Servius Tullius (Livy 10.46.14). The second was a new temple, or restoration, dedicated in A.D. 16 by Tiberius within the confines of *Horti Caesaris (Tac.,Ann. 2.41.1).Since the first milestone on Via Campana (as measured from the *Pons Aemilius; cf. Scheid 642; Palmer 370) would fall within the limits of the *Horti Caesaris, it is reasonable to think that all three temples to the cult (i.e., those of Servius Tullius, Sp. Carvilius and Tiberius) may have been built within the same neighborhood in S *Trans Tiberim; the later ones may even represent the rebuilding(s) of the same fanum (Richardson; contra, Savage 33, Champeaux 201, who places Carvilius’ temple at the sixth milestone). Tiberius’ rebuilding also shows that the cult was active upon the same site into the early 1st c. A.D.The archaeological evidence for these sanctuaries is heavily debated (Champeaux 200 n.8). In 1860, the concrete podium (20.5 x 12.75 m) of a distyle in antis temple and three architrave fragments were excavated near the first milestone of the Via Campana, close by Vigna Bonelli or Costa (Monteverde), and about a half mile away from Porta Portese (Visconti). Lanciani, following the excavator, identified the temple as that of Fors Fortuna, though without much decisive evidence (Lanciani and Visconti 27-28, pl. I; contra, Palmer 381, who thinks that this structure is too far from the river to be associated with Fors Fortuna). However, a set of 6th-c. B.C. bronze male figurines, which were discovered in 1888 near modern Via F. Chiappini at the end of Viale Trastevere, are associated with the cult of Fortuna, and thus may support this location (Fiorelli). An excavation in 1939-40 explored the area called ‘Pietra Papa’ on the bank of the Tiber and revealed a podium, possibly built at the time of Tiberius, which was identified as one of the temples to Fors Fortuna (Iacopi 105-6; contra Le Gall).Recently Coarelli (43-46) has identified the square-shaped and possibly domed structure shown on the NW corner of the well-located frag. 28 of the Severan Marble Plan as the aedes Fortis Fortunae (Rodríguez Almeida, Forma pl. 20). It was traditionally thought to represent a tomb (Gatti). The structure appears to have been built along a major street, usually identified as the Via Campana, right across from the industrial horrea structures. Since Coarelli’s over-imaginative suggestion lacks conclusive evidence and fails to resolve the topographic dilemma presented here, the location of the sanctuary to Fors Fortuna proposed by Lanciani and Visconti is followed on our map, though with reservations. Until disproven by further archaeological evidence, there is no reason to believe the existence of more than one temple to Fors Fortuna around the first milestone.