Temple of Roma and Augustus, Caesarea

About

Stood on a raised platform over twelve vaulted warehouses, positioned so it was the first thing any sailor saw entering the harbor. Josephus describes a colossal cult statue of Augustus inside, rivaling the scale of Olympian Zeus at Olympia, paired with an image of the goddess Roma. Built by Herod as a very public declaration of loyalty, it remained Caesarea's most visible landmark in 117 CE, towering over the harbor entrance.

What happened here

The building itself is a house for the god, and most people never go inside. Everything public happens on the steps and at the altar in front: an animal led up, examined, killed cleanly, its organs read, the meat divided and eaten. The priest covers his head and a flute player keeps up a noise so no ill-omened word is heard. Worshippers leave what they can afford — a terracotta figure, a coin, a model of the body part they want healed — and the accumulated clutter is periodically cleared and buried on site. On festival days the doors are opened and the cult statue is dressed, garlanded, and sometimes carried out through the streets. The temple also holds money, which is why towns keep their treasury in one.

Sources

• https://ferrelljenkins.blog/2015/02/11/herods-temple-to-roma-and-augustus-at-caesarea-maritima/
• https://www.bibleodyssey.org/articles/caesarea-maritima/

Nearby

Sebastos Harbor

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Herod's Promontory Palace

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Herod's Hippodrome, Caesarea

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The Herodian Theatre of Caesarea

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The High-Level Aqueduct of Caesarea

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Fortress of Legio VI Ferrata (Legio/Caparcotna)

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