The first Temple of Minerva at Dougga was a gift of the patron of the civitas at the end of the 1st century, but the more important site dedicated to this divinity is a building which features a temple and an area surrounded by a portico dating from the reign of Antoninus Pius.
It was financed through the philanthropy of a priestess of the imperial cult, Julia Paula Laenatiana.
The building was designed to take advantage of the slope on which it stands; the podium is at the level of the roof of the portico and the temple in the strict sense of the word is located outside the surrounding building.
The stairs providing access to the temple accentuates the inaccessible nature of the divinity.
The first Temple of Minerva at Dougga was a gift of the patron of the civitas at the end of the 1st century, but the more important site dedicated to this divinity is a building which features a temple and an area surrounded by a portico dating from the reign of Antoninus Pius. It was financed through the philanthropy of a priestess of the imperial cult, Julia Paula Laenatiana. The building was designed to take advantage of the slope on which it stands; the podium is at the level of the roof of the portico and the temple in the strict sense of the word is located outside the surrounding building. The stairs providing access to the temple accentuates the inaccessible nature of the divinity.
Dougga