Constantine’s letter leads to discovery of Roman temple

Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a Roman temple under a parking lot in the city of Spello after examining a letter sent by the emperor in the 4th century A.D.

The Roman temple was uncovered in a parking lot during excavation after Douglas Boin – a history professor at Saint Louis University – examined a letter from Constantine, who lived from 306 to 337 A.D., authorizing Spello’s citizens to commemorate a religious festival in their hometown instead of attending another festival far away.

Although he was the first emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine in a letter instructed the Spellolans to build a temple to worship the Flavian dynasty, whom he considered his holy ancestors.

Discovered in the 18th century, three interior walls – belonging to the temple that was ordered to be built in the letter– were discovered under a parking lot.

To locate the temple in the letter, the research team led by Boin carried out excavations at points where many underground imaging studies, such as georadar, suspected the foundations of the structure. Later, the excavations revealed three interior walls.

According to the researchers, Constantine was still associating himself with the “practice of an imperial cult” in the letter.

He was also trying to pay homage to a family that had marked the empire with monuments such as the Colosseum.

Source: Newsroom