Temple of Apollo

We are on the south side of the Sanctuary of Apollo. Before we enter, let us look around.

From Porta Marina we climb to Piazza del Foro, the public heart of Pompeii. Building a sanctuary at this point meant defining for the whole city a founding cult, a reference to Greek and Etruscan presence in Campania

We know Apollo was a Greek god but his cult was widespread in Campania in the sixth century BC. 

The original temple dating to that period shared some of the features we see in the temple of Apollo at Cumae, perhaps produced by the same artisans. It has been rebuilt several times in history time. 

The temple we see today, towards the back of the court on a podium with staircase, was built in the second century BC, with some renovations in the first century AD

A portico at the rear, with columns and gaps once occupied by doors, opens towards Piazza del Foro.  

Perhaps it had a terrace.

This was the site for gladiator games and the theatrical performances of the Ludi Apollinares, the feasts in honour of the god, centring around the initiation of boys and girls, in whom Apollo and his twin Diana were recognized as the tutelary deities.

And Apollo? Be sure to look for his bronze statue as an archer. Here we see a copy: the original is in Naples National Archaeological Museum.

The inscription on the base celebrates the victories of Lucius Mummius in the East. Many men of Pompeii probably joined him in these wars. Found it?

Opposite the temple we can see a sacrificial altar and on a tall pillar, a sundial dedicated by two influential magistrates of the reign of Augustus.