Temple of Claudius, Colchester
About
The Temple of the Deified Claudius rose as Roman Britain's largest classical temple, its podium alone measuring 32 by 24 meters. Colonial elites built it to honor Rome's new god-emperor, and Boudica's rebels found it so hateful a symbol of occupation that they besieged the last defenders inside for two days before torching it in the winter of 60-61 CE. The colony rebuilt the temple on its surviving podium within a year or two, and by 117 CE it had served as Camulodunum's ceremonial heart for more than five decades; its massive foundation still survives, buried beneath Colchester Castle.
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
Nearby
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