Temple of Tellus
ancient building in Rome
The Temple of Tellus was a sanctuary in Ancient Rome, erected after 268 BCE and dedicated to the goddess Tellus.
History
The temple was founded by Publius Sempronius Sophus, following a vow he took when an earthquake occurred when he was commanding the Roman forces during a battle with the Picentes in 268 BCE. The site of the temple was in the Carinae district on the Esquiline Hill, and was reputedly built on the site where the house of Spurius Cassius Vecellinus once stood. The houses of Mark Antony and Cicero stood close to the temple, and Cicero restored the temple around 54 BCE after it had become run down, as he had gained possession of some land that had belonged to the temple.
The temple was occasionally used for meetings of the Senate, and on its walls was displayed a map or a personification of Italy (described by Varro as Italia picta). It was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE, but was subsequently rebuilt. It was still listed in the Notitia as standing in the 4th century, located in the Regio IV Templum Pacis. If still in use by the 4th-century, it would have been closed during the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire.
The temple's dedication was celebrated on 13 December. As the worship of Tellus by the Romans had a very long history, it is probable that there was a much earlier cult centre on the site afterwards occupied by the temple.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Temple of Tellus” as ancient building in Rome. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as ancient building in Rome. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2007892. Authority coordinates are 41.892, 12.490. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Temple of Tellus”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Temple of Tellus primary sources, Temple of Tellus archive and Temple research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Temple of Tellus”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Temple of Tellus” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.