Pompeii - Temple of Apollo

Sacred enclosure of the Temple of Apollo, altar

There has been a temple of Apollo here since the beginning of time. Literally. Well at least since the 5^th or 6^th century BC.  The current one dates from somewhere in the middle of the 2^nd century BC, putting it around the same time period as the temples at the ForumBoararium in Rome.

This one was in the Doric manner with columns all the way around, while being set on a raised platform in the more Roman fashion.  The temple is set in the center of a good sized peristyle of fluted columns. These along with the temple itself were damaged in the earthquake in 62 AD and were still undergoing restoration at the time of the great cataclysm seventeen years later. 

The ancient restoration efforts are still very visible and it reminds me of modern times; in that they were replacing the plain, solid and sturdy  volcanic rock columns with flimsy columns made out of brick covered in stucco and topped off with highly elaborate Corinthian capitals. These would have all been painted in garish colours with a taste reminiscent of a 19^th century western bordello.

Statue of Apollo

Apollo and peristyle

The statue of Apollo the archer is a copy (the real one is in Naples) but still very dramatic.He is missing his bow, which I am sure must make him very self conscious. The statue of Diana I wrote about briefly in an earlier post is also in the sacred enclosure.

The remains of a spectacular marble altar are standing in front of the temple near the steps. It has survived well and looks like it is screaming to be smothered in animal entrails! It's possibly for this reason that the central part of the enclosure is fenced off.

The other item of great interest is a tall freestanding ionic column of white marble that supports a sundial. Standing to the left of the stairs leading into the temple proper this gloriously preserved sundial was donated by the same gentlemen that donated the semi-circular bench by the temple in the triangular forum. Now they would have a hospital wing named after them. In the first century AD it was benches and sundials.

Super duper sundial in the sacred enclosure of the Temple of Apollo