The Temple of Trajan was a

Roman temple Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in culture of ancient Rome, Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Architecture of ancient Rome, Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete ...

dedicated to the emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

and his wife Plotina after his

deification Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The origina ...

by the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate () was the highest and constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in 753 BC) as the Sena ...

. It was built in the Forum of Trajan (

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

), by Trajan's adoptive son and successor

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

, between 125 A.D. and 138 A.D. The architect was Apollodorus of Damascus.

Site

Its exact site within the Forum is unknown. It had been assumed it was on the site of Palazzo Valentini and that this palazzo had reused stone from the temple in its construction, but excavation has found no trace of a temple, only remains of '' insulae'' with shallower foundations than those needed for a temple. This possibly puts the temple at the centre of the forum courtyard, looking towards the forum of Augustus or elsewhere (some have suggested the two rooms in the Library, without evidence) and not in a northern position as was previously assumed.

History

The temple's dedicatory inscription survives in the

Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums (; ) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of the best-known Roman sculptures and ...

. An enormous monolithic

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

column (2m in diameter) with a white marble capital (2.12m high on its own) survives near Trajan's Column and perhaps comes from the temple. Among Hadrian's many buildings, it was only this one to which he wished to affix his name. The temple was probably enormous in dimensions and surrounded by a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

like the temple of Hadrian. However, Trajan was not buried in the temple but in the triumphal column's base. The temple was destroyed in the Middle Ages.

Sources

* (traditional) Filippo Coarelli, ''Guida archeologica di Roma'', Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Verona 1984.
Martin G. Conde, Rome - Forum of Trajan: Excavations, Discoveries & Restoration Work (1995-2009). Part. 2 - Temple of Trajan (?) / Palazzo Valentini Excavations & Exhibit (2005-2009).

Martin G. Conde, Rome - Imperial Fora: Metro 'C' Archaeological Surveys (2005-2009). Part. 2 - Pz. Venezia / Pz. Madonna di Loreto. Area S14 / B1 (2004-2009). Area tra ex-Palazzo Bolognetti Torlonia / Palazzo Parracciani Nepoli & Via Macel dei Corvi.
* Claridge, Amanda. “Hadrian’s Lost Temple of Trajan.” Journal of Roman Archaeology 20 (2007): 55–94. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047759400005316. * Packer, James E. “Trajan’s Forum Again: The Column and the Temple of Trajan in the Master Plan Attributed to Apollodorus(?).” Journal of Roman Archaeology 7 (1994): 163–82. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047759400012551. {{Imperial forums of Rome

Nerva–Antonine dynasty Trajan Hadrian Trajan's Forum Rome R. I Monti Roman temples of the Imperial cult

Site

History

See also

Sources