Temple A of Volterra
The architecture and decoration of Temple A on the Acropolis of Volterra reflect a period of profound cultural and political transformation in the city, marked by its gradual integration into the Roman sphere during the mid-2nd century BC.
Unlike the nearby Temple B, which continued to follow the traditional Tuscan architectural canon, Temple A adopted Greek-derived architectural models, mediated through the Roman cultural environment.
Dimensions and Plan: It was a relatively small building, approximately 13 metres wide. Its plan consisted of a single elongated room (cella) preceded by a short pronaos.
Podium and Access: The building rested on a high podium, into which the access staircase was directly incorporated. This structural solution finds close parallels in the Temple of Magna Mater on the Palatine Hill in Rome and in the Capitolium of Cosa.
Construction Technique: The wall facings were built using isodomic ashlar masonry, characterized by rectangular parallelepiped blocks of equal dimensions, all laid on their sides with staggered vertical joints between successive courses.
A major departure from local tradition was the temple’s north-eastern orientation, opposite to that of all the other sacred buildings in the sanctuary (which were oriented towards the south-west). This choice was not accidental: the façade faced the celestial region associated with Tinia (the Etruscan Zeus/Jupiter) in his heavenly and thunder-wielding aspect. Scholars suggest that the construction of the temple marks the “separation” of the celestial aspect of the male deity from the original founding divine pair of the sanctuary.
The temple was dedicated to the pair of founding deities of the sanctuary and the city, identified in the inscriptions as Papa (a figure comparable to Dis Pater, the god of the fertility of the earth) and Xia (his consort, equivalent to Uni/Hera). Devotion to this divine pair is confirmed by the discovery of ritual pottery (small cups and plates) marked with the signs χ and z (possibly referring to zan, meaning “parent”).
Although the temple’s superstructure has been almost completely lost due to spoliation and medieval overbuilding, investigations have made it possible to recover several significant elements:
Terracotta frieze: The presence of a high-relief terracotta frieze has been documented, although its iconographic theme remains uncertain due to the fragmentary nature of the surviving remains.
Mouldings: A moulded block from the base of the podium, decorated with a plinth and cavetto profile, was also found.
Interior finishes: Fragments of white and red plaster suggest that the walls may have been painted.
In keeping with the scenographic taste of the Late Hellenistic period, Temple A was surrounded by a paved pathway (constructed with stone slabs) that ran alongside the podium and was incorporated into a new temenos (sacred enclosure), which regularized the area through long stretches of isodomic ashlar masonry walls. The construction of this temple led to the definitive obliteration of earlier structures, such as Enclosure I and several service rooms dating to the 3rd century BC.
