Walls and Pronaos, Temple of Saturn

This columned portico, or porch, stood prominently at the west end of the Roman Forum. Piranesi thought it belonged to the Temple of Concord, but that structure had been destroyed 400 years before his time. This is actually the remains of the Temple of Saturn, built around 300 CE. In Roman mythology, the god Saturn ruled over a golden age of prosperity, and this building was used as a treasury. Humble structures often sprang up amid grand ruins, and here we see what appears to be a garage for princely coaches. Beyond the temple we can see the Arch of Septimus Severus, which Piranesi examined more closely in an etching shown nearby.