Penates, Aedes

Temple to the Penates Publici, located on the *Velia, was rebuilt by Augustus (RG 19: aedem deum Penatium in Velia ... feci). Conflicting literary sources record the three possible locations for the shrine: on the slopes of the Velia (Dion. Hal., Ant. Rom. 1.68.1), at the hill’s summit (Cic., Rep. 2.31.53 with Solin. 1.22; Richardson), and at the entrance of the Temple of *Vesta (Tac., Ann. 15.41; Dubourdieu). The position at the summit has been called into question by Palombi (1997), who rightly questions the reliability of an argument founded upon the combination of two separate traditions (of Cicero and of Solinus) and which rests in part upon ancient supposition. Instead, Palombi privileges the detailed, anecdotal account of Dionysius (who is also temporally closer to our subject), and his account is relied upon here. Dionysius characterizes the shrine as ‘darkened by overhanging structures’ and ‘not far from the short street which leads to the *Carinae’; thus, the modest Temple of the Penates should be located on the NW Velia slope near the ‘short street’ to the Carinae (Dion. Hal., loc. cit.; *Carinae: Streets). Since a flight of stairs led to the temple, the building was probably located on the hillside rather than at the very base of Velia (Varro ap. Don., Ter. Eun. 2.2.25). The Altar of *Pax Augusta may offer visual evidence for the appearance of the shrine; the relief of Aeneas sacrificing includes an image of the enshrined Lavinian Penates in the background which closely corresponds to the description of the Roman Temple of the Penates Publici found in Dionysius of Halicarnassus; perhaps the sculptors found their model for the relief in the recently renewed temple. Further evidence for the location of the temple has recently been brought forward by Rodríguez Almeida, who has associated a fragment of the Severan Marble Plan depicting a small cella and peristyle with the section of the Velia now occupied by the basilica Nova (frags. 674, 594 a,b). This depicted shrine has been identified as a Flavian reconstruction of the temple of the Penates Publici (Palombi). However, this interpretation assumes that the Penates shrine still existed in the 3rd c. A.D., a supposition which lacks evidence since the last secure reference to the aedes is under Augustus. The temple was probably destroyed during the fire of A.D. 64 and subsequent Neronian rebuilding on the Velia (Richardson). Since nothing indicates whether the Penates shrine was included in the later renewals of the area, we must exercise caution when identifying or adopting information from the Severan Marble Plan. Nevertheless, it offers the best available evidence for the location of the temple, and this location has been followed on our map.