CHAPTER II

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PAGAN SHRINES AND TEMPLES.

Ancient temples as galleries of art.--The adornment of statues with jewelry, etc.--Offerings and sacrifices by individuals.--Stores of ex-votos found in the _favissæ_ or vaults of temples.--Instances of these brought to light within recent years.--Remarkable wealth of one at Veii.--The altars of ancient Rome.--The _ara maxima Herculis_.--The _Roma Quadrata_.--The altar of Aius Locutius.--That of Dis and Proserpina.--Its connection with the Sæcular Games.--The discovery of the inscription describing these, in 1890.--The _ara pacis Augustæ_.--The _ara incendii Neroniani_.--Temples excavated in my time.--That of Jupiter Capitolinus.--History of its ruins.--The Capitol as a place for posting official announcements.--The Temple of Isis and Serapis.--The number of sculptures discovered on its site.--The Temple of Neptune.--Its remains in the Piazza di Pietra.--The Temple of Augustus.--The _Sacellum Sanci_.

Ancient guide-books of Rome, published in the middle of the fourth century,[34] mention four hundred and twenty-four temples, three hundred and four shrines, eighty statues of gods, of precious metal, sixty-four of ivory, and three thousand seven hundred and eighty-five miscellaneous bronze statues. The number of marble statues is not given. It has been said, however, that Rome had two populations of equal size, one alive, and one of marble.

I have had the opportunity of witnessing or conducting the discovery of several temples, altars, shrines, and bronze statues. The number of marble statues and busts discovered in the last twenty-five years, either in Rome or the Campagna, may be stated at one thousand.

Before beginning the description of these beautiful monuments, I must allude to some details concerning the management and organization of ancient places of worship, upon which recent discoveries have thrown a considerable, and in some cases, unexpected light.

Roman temples, like the churches of the present day, were used not only as places of worship, but as galleries of pictures, museums of statuary, and "cabinets" of precious objects. In