FRAGMENT OF TEMPLE’S DECORATION

Archaeological Museum "San Lorenzo"

The public space

II secolo a.C

Fragment

The only remains of the temples dating back to the most ancient phase are some architectonic elements in clay: in particular, it is very interesting the statue (in fragments) of a God or a hero from Plasio Street which is supposed to be part of the decoration of one of the main temples of the town, which was unfortunately found in a Middle Ages wall.

The two fragments, which now we see one next to the other, were found in 1970 and then re-used as construction materials of a Middle Ages wall.

The figure of the man with a young face and the left shoulder covered by a mantle can not be recognized: we can suppose he was a God (probably Apollo) or a hero. We do not know which was the scene and which other characters were present.

We do not have any elements to identify the place where the temple was located, as the fragments were found in a context of re-use.

However, these remains are still very important for Cremonese archaeology. The statue, in fact, is extremely refined and this confirms the high cultural and economic level of Cremona, first colony founded by the Romans in the Northern area of the river Po and influenced by the centre-Italian culture. On the other hand, the analysis of the used clay demonstrated that it was probably a local material; in the excavations in Marconi square they were found also some fragments of samples used to make architectonic elements in clay: this demonstrates that in Cremona it was active a production of this kind of decorations.

visit the museum's other spaces

The public space

It expresses what the political authority wanted to communicate ideologically, not only at local level but also directly to Rome

The necropolis

Sepulchral stones and grave goods considered necessary for the afterlife

The private space

It enhances the prestige of the élites among the pares and towards the other clientes