Temple of Roma and Augustus

The Temple of Roma and Augustus was a monopteral circular Ionic temple built on the Acropolis of Athens c. 19 BCE, likely coincident with Augustus' second visit to Athens [1]. The structure was axially aligned with the eastern entrance of the Parthenon, placed 23 m eastward [1]. The temple, which asserted the divinity of Rome and the Imperial cult in the context of the religious centre of the Acropolis, was a propaganda monument erected at a time of tension between Rome and Athens [1]. The Pentelic marble temple was at its greatest diameter 8.6 m, and likely measured 7.36 m in height [1]. The building had one step and a stylobate on which its nine columns stood [1]. It had no interior wall, making it a monopteros, and might have been the frame or setting for a statue or other cult object [1]. In style it recalls the columns of the Erechtheion with elaborately carved floral motifs at the top of the shaft, making it an early example of the Roman classicizing Neo-Attic style [1]. The building had a sloping conical marble roof [1].