The monumental complex of ancient Roman temples in Plaza Argentina, in Rome, where, according to tradition, Julius Caesar was assassinated, opens this Tuesday for the first time to the public since its discovery at the beginning of the last century.
“It was possible to open a space that illustrates the entire history of the place and that is not limited to ancient history, but has had successive phases of destruction and reconstruction throughout the centuries,” explained Claudio Parisi, archaeologist and main cultural official. from Rome. heritage. .
This is an area with more than two thousand years of history: over the centuries, the city was built, layer by layer, on levels several meters above the area where Caesar planned his political strategies and was later stabbed to death in the 44 a.
After several years of work, as of this Tuesday it will be possible to be near the very doors of some temples whose origin dates back to the 4th century BC in a fully accessible route for people with reduced mobility and that includes three-dimensional works representing some of the exposed elements, which can be interpreted by blind people.
The set is also made up of two exhibition areas, in which sarcophagi, architectural decorations, epigraphs and two monumental heads belonging to the divinities of the temples and found in the excavations carried out in the area are exhibited.
The four temples were discovered almost a century ago, during the demolition of some ancient buildings that brought to light one of the most important and ancient archaeological sites in Rome.
Several fires and renovations changed its structure until it was buried under the streets of the eternal city for centuries.
Despite the importance of this sacred space, it is still unclear to which gods each temple was dedicated.
Some of the most established hypotheses suggest that these spaces were dedicated to the goddess Feronia, who controlled the forests, to the nymph Juturna, minor deity of water and springs, to the Lares Permarini, who protected the Romans on their travels, and to the goddess Fortuna, in one of her many forms.
The renovation works were financed by Bulgari, an Italian luxury jeweller, with money left over from the restoration of the famous Spanish Steps in Rome, which lasted several years.
The facilities will be open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday and it is necessary to purchase tickets in advance.
Source: TSF
