Ritorno a Cupra : scavi stratigrafici nel tempio del Foro e nuovi dati sulla messa in opera dell’opus reticulatum nel I sec. d.C.

The study takes up the building history of the large temple facing the west side of the Forum after new investigations in 2022; the building had so far been only partially brought to light by previous excavations. The high–podiumed temple, of Corinthian order and provided with a deep cella, was built in the Augustan age and was thoroughly renovated from the foundations in a second phase, following a series of structural injuries that had endangered the entire building. On that occasion the cell’s splendid pictorial decoration, belonging to the so-called. III Pompeian style, was buried in the deep filling of the podium, the foundations were reinforced and the entire wall of the cella rebuilt in brickwork; of the latter it was possible to bring to light in collapse almost the entire north side. Among the architectural elements recovered from the excavation are fragments of columns and some good-quality lion’s head stone dripstones, also dating from the reconstruction of the temple.