The Temple of Juno Lacinia (as a Roman goddess, originally Hera Lacinia) is a ruined ancient Greek temple at the heart of a sanctuary dedicated to Hera located on Capo Colonna in Calabria, Italy, near Crotone (ancient Kroton). The main remaining feature is a Doric column with capital, about in height.
The site lies on a promontory formerly called Lacinion in a strategic position along the coastal routes linking Taranto to the Strait of Messina. The venerated goddess, Hera Lacinia, was named after the location.
The sanctuary was later included in the larger Roman town of Lacinium.
History
The sanctuary was dependent on ancient Kroton and was one of the most important of Magna Graecia until the 4th century BC. Building phases are datable to eras from the 6th century BC to the 3rd century AD.
The temple, together with the so-called "Building B", were dedicated to the worship of Hera and constituted the first cult area dating from the 6th to early 5th century BC as testified by the rich votive offerings including masterpieces in gold, silver and bronze. The via sacra (great processional way), 60 m long and over 8 m wide, was created in the 4th century BC after which two vast public buildings for pilgrims were built. They had symmetrical plans with internal courtyards and peristyles: the katagogion (hotel for pilgrims) and the hestiatorion (banquet building). The wall of the temenos (sanctuary precinct) probably dates to the 4th century BC.
The federal treasury of the Italiote League was moved there in the 5th century BC, and remained there until relocated to Herakleia near Tarentum.
Before evacuating Italy in 206 BC, toward the close of the Second Punic War, Hannibal dedicated a bronze plaque inscribed in Punic and Greek there detailing his accomplishments.
In 173 BC, the Censor Quintus Fulvius Flaccus dedicated the Temple of Fortuna Equestris in Rome, for which he had stripped the marble tiles from the roof of the Temple of Juno. In 172 BC, out of grief over tragic news about his sons, Flaccus hanged himself. "[T]here was a general belief that he had been driven mad by Juno Lacinia, in her anger at his spoliation of her temple." The Senate ordered the tiles returned, but, "as there was no one who understood how to replace the tiles they had been left in the precinct of the temple."
Cicero cites Coelius Antipater saying that the temple featured a golden column. Hannibal wanted to know whether or not it was solid gold, and drilled a hole and, determining that it was solid, decided to take it back to Carthage. The next night Juno appeared to him in a dream and threatened him with the loss of his remaining good eye if he took it. Hannibal obeyed the warning; he had a small statue of a heifer, sacred to Juno, cast from the drill shavings and mounted it on top of the column.
The temple was said to have been still been fairly complete in the 16th century, but was destroyed to build the episcopal palace at Crotone. One of the two remaining columns fell in an earthquake in 1638.
Description
The temple has been described as "perhaps the most splendid [structure] in southern Italy".
The sanctuary was in an area of forest sacred to the goddess. Hera is, in Greek mythology, the greatest of the goddesses, mother of Zeus and of other deities and heroes. Hera is the greatest protector of women and of all aspects of female life, but she is also venerated as Mother Nature, protector of animals and of sea travel. Hera also protected in particular the cattle which grazed freely within the forest.
The Doric temple had six columns in front (hexastyle) with a total of 48 columns over 8 m high. The roof was made of marble slabs and Parian marble tiles. Architectural fragments were excavated in 1886–1887 by the Archaeological Institute of America. The remaining column rests on the remains of the mighty stylobate.
The sanctuary includes at least three other buildings: "B”, "H” and "K”.
Building H, with a square plan also called Hestiatorion, is divided into various rooms. The discovery of furnishings typical of the rooms dedicated to meals implies that this was the banqueting or canteen and refreshment building for travellers as well as priests. In any case this building is from the 4th century BC when the temple had already achieved great celebrity. Building K, or Katagogion, also dates to the 4th century BC has a stoa or peristyle which united a series of rooms and a courtyard. It was probably the guesthouse where important visitors could find accommodation, while their servants had to settle for much less refined buildings.