The Temple of Luna (Latin: ''templum'' or ''aedes Lunae'') was a temple on the

Aventine Hill The Aventine Hill (; la, Collis Aventinus; it, Aventino ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the sou ...

in Rome, dedicated to

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Roma ...

, the moon goddess. Its dedication was celebrated on 31 March. According to

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his t ...

, Annals, XV, 41.1 it was built by king

Servius Tullius Servius Tullius was the legendary sixth king of Rome, and the second of its Etruscan dynasty. He reigned from 578 to 535 BC. Roman and Greek sources describe his servile origins and later marriage to a daughter of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, Rome ...

. However, the first confirmed reference to a temple to Luna dates to 182 BC and refers to one of its doors being knocked off its posts by a miraculous blast of air and shot into the back of the

Temple of Ceres The Sanctuary of Ceres, Liber and Libera (Latin: ''Aedes Cereris, Liberi et Liberae'') was a temple to Ceres, Liber Pater and Libera (equivalent to Demeter, Dionysus and Kore or Ariadne) built on the Aventine Hill in Rome. It was dedicated in 49 ...

. That account probably places the temple at the north end of the hill, just above

porta Trigemina The Porta Trigemina was one of the main gates in the ancient 4th century Servian Wall of Rome, Italy. The gate no longer exists, but it is frequently mentioned by ancient authors as standing between the north end of the Aventine Hill and the Tiber ...

. The temple was struck by lightning around the time of the death of Cinna, as was the temple of Ceres. After the destruction of

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...

Lucius Mummius Achaicus Lucius Mummius (2nd century BC), was a Roman statesman and general. He was consul in the year 146 BC along with Scipio Aemilianus. Mummius was the first of his family to rise to the rank of consul thereby making him a novus homo. He received the ...

dedicated some of his spoils from the city to this temple. It was destroyed in the

Great Fire of Rome The Great Fire of Rome ( la, incendium magnum Romae) occurred in July AD 64. The fire began in the merchant shops around Rome's chariot stadium, Circus Maximus, on the night of 19 July. After six days, the fire was brought under control, but before ...

in 64 AD and not rebuilt.

Sources

Samuel Ball Platner, Aedes Lunae, in A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, London, Oxford University Press, 1929, p. 320

References

{{coord missing, Italy 2nd-century BC establishments in the Roman Republic 60s disestablishments in the Roman Empire 64 disestablishments 2nd-century BC religious buildings and structures Buildings and structures demolished in the 1st century

Moon temples Roman temples by deity Burned buildings and structures Luna (goddess)

See also

Sources

References