The templesby Attilio Mastrocinque
According to an architectural typology very popular in Greek and Roman world, the statue of worship was kept in a cell, the most secret part of the temple, accessible only to priests and preceded by an open porch space (Pronao). Around the temples there are useful rooms and open spaces, suitable to guest the faithful assembled during the gods celebrations. The shrines in Grumentum are conventionally identified, since the time of discovery, by a letter of the alphabet.
Temple A
In front of the entrance steps is still preserved an altar (ara), also coated by gray limestone. During the excavations in the temple A was found a marble torso representing a child, perhaps identified with the Egyptian god Harpocrates. It would be fascinating, even though not demonstrable with sufficient reliability, assume the presence of an oriental cult (in particular Egyptian) in the city of Grumentum. It’s not clear the chronology of foundation of the temple, which had a life cycle quite long, and was abandoned about the fifth century A.C.
Temple B
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