Help your classmates imagine the twin temples dedicated to the goddesses Fortuna and Mater Matuta, who these goddesses were and why they mattered.
The following is a visual representation to better understand where are the twin temples located.
- The temples are next to each other.
- Shares one large platform.
- Each temple has its altar in front of their temple.
- The temple dedicated to Mater Matuta was later repurposed into a church.
Map of the area where the twin temples are located 
Structure layout of the twin temples. Matuta is on the right(north), while Fortuna is on the left(west). 
Locate the large platform between the twin temples, the circle. 
And also try to find the square border 
Can you see the vision now? 
The temple dedicated to Mater Matuta was found beneath the church of Sant’ Omobono.
The temples share a single, large platform and each has an altar in front of it. Under the nave of S. Omobono is the aedes of Mater Matuta, while the temple of Fortuna lay further S. The visible temple remains seem to belong to the reconstruction in 212 B.C. (Livy 24.47.15, 25.7.5-6; Sommella).(Dr. Dorian Borbonus)
The male figure on the left is hercules(the lion paws element).
The female figure on the right is Athena(the shield in her hand)
The unique Archaic smile.
Fortuna
Goddess of
- Luck(personification)
- Virtus
- Prosperity(grain and offspring)
- Change, the unpredictable in life.
Fors Fortuna, June 24th
Mater Matuta
Goddess of
- Dawn
- Childbirth
- Motherhood
- Maternal care
Martralia, June 11th
- A worship festival celebrated by the free women of Rome who are in their first marriage.
- Involved the ritual of chasing/beating a female slave out of the temple, as a symbol of purification
Married women will worship Mater Matuta for the health of their children. Animal cubs are often used as sacrificial offerings. Mater Matuta is often represented as a seated female figure while holding one or multiple baby burritos in her arms.
Reference
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Temple_of_Mater_Matuta_ruins_-_Palazzo_dei_Conservatori_-_Musei_Capitolini_-_Rome_2016.jpg
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mater_Matuta#:~:text=Mater%20Matuta%20had%20a%20temple%20in%20the,by%20Marcus%20Furius%20Camillus%20in%20396%20BCE.
- https://www.digitalaugustanrome.org/records/fortuna-et-mater-matuta-aedes/
- https://religiondatabase.org/browse/663
Rome via Brooklyn 
Leave a comment