Hercules Victor L. Mummius’s and the round temple on the Tiber. An attempt at identification

Abstract

The only information about the temple of Hercules Victor, built ca. 142 by L. Mummius Achaicus cos. 146 from the Achaean war-booty, is an inscription found on the Lateran: this has led to the mistaken assumption that the temple stood somewhere on the Caelius. Other sources, literary (Servius, Macrobius) and epigraphic (Fasti Antiates Maiores and Allifani), mention two Roman temples of Hercules Victor, one in Foro Boario, the other ad Portam Trigeminam. The former should be identified with the so-called ,,aedes Aemiliana”, the latter is the still standig round temple on the Tiber, built according to archaeological criteria some time in the second half of the second century B. C. This temple has been identified by F. Coarelli as the temple built by the merchant M. Octavius Herrenus, as mentioned by Servius and Macrobius. This identification is untenable, especially as no shrine vowed, built and dedicated by a merchant could become a public temple, to which category Hercules Victor ad Portam Trigeminam clearly belonged, as witnessed by the inclusion of its feast-day in the Roman calendar. The round temple should rather be identified with the temple dedicated by Mummius. It is built of marble, as were two other temples built in the same period, in the same style and by the same architect (Hermodoros): Iuppiter Stator and Mars in Circo Flaminio, dedicated respectively by Q. Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus cos. 143 and D. Iunius Brutus Callaicus cos. 138. The usage of adopting conqueror’s cognomen had been re-introduced in that period by P. Cornelius Scipio Africanus cos. 147, 134: his three rivals for military renown followed his example (Achaicus, Macedonicus, Callaicus), two of them are known to have further commemorated their victories by building marble temples; the founder of the third should be sought in the third man, Mummius, Scipio’s greatest rival and enemy. Another argument is Mummius’ rivalry during the Achaean War with Metellus, the founder of the first Roman marble temple: Mummius had to counter the challenge of lower-ranking general who nearly stole the victory from him by also building a marble temple.