The sanctuary of Minerva 2

Contributor: Xue Xia
Published: 2021-04-21
Modified: 2025-09-16

Dates

138-161 CE

Garden Description

The sanctuary of Minerva 2, (138-161 CE), built later than the templa Concordiae, presents a very different configuration. The cella, projecting outwards from the courtyard lined with porticoes, is built on a very high podium whose summit corresponded to the level of the peribolus roof and to which access was gained by a monumental staircase. The temple, by its insertion in the topography of the site, seems to emerge from the cliff into which it was embedded. The approach was a long allée bordered on both sides by planting beds that emphasized the perspective centered on the cella. An open-air ambulatio, bordered by a balustrade, ran alongside the porticoes and the staircase, restricting access into the planted areas. Located on the outskirts of the city, one can imagine that the temple nestled in the cliff, perhaps surrounded by trees. The vegetation thus embraced the sanctuary as a whole and framed the altar located on the axial path leading to the temple.

Plans

Fig.1 Plan of the sanctuary of Minerva 2
Credit: (From Saint-Amans, S., 2004, p. 216, fig. 2a)

Bibliography

  • Aounallah, S., Maurin, L., "Remarques sur la topographie rurale et urbaine du pagus et de la ciuitas de Thugga (Dougga, Tunisie)", in Hommes, cultures et paysages de l'Antiquité à la période moderne : Mélanges offerts à Jean Peyras, Rennes, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2013. (worldcat)
  • Malek, A.-A., "Le jardin dans les sanctuaires du Maghreb romain, premières approches", in Du culte aux sanctuaires : l'architecture religieuse dans l'Afrique romaine et byzantine, Brouquier Reddé, V., Baratte, Fr., Rocca E. (dir.), Paris, de Boccard, coll. Orient et Méditerranée, 2018, pp. 213-230, p. 364, pl. 14. (worldcat)
  • Saint-Amans, S. "Topographie religieuse de Thugga (Dougga)"", in Ville romaine d'Afrique proconsulaire (Tunisie), (Scripta Antiqua, 9), Bordeaux : Ausonius Éditions 2004, pp. 340-341, p. 216, fig. 2a. (worldcat)

Keywords

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