Ara di Circe
An open-air marvel
The Ara di Circe is situated at an elevation of 540m, that is to say on the Promontory’s highest point, at its westernmost end. It consists of a platform, which rests on a substructure and has been identified as an altar to Circe. The substructure under the sacred area was realised by means of two mighty containment walls, reinforced with pillars where pressure is stronger. Some structures outcrop near the platform above, but the Ara’s plant cannot be clearly discerned.
It is very likely that this was a sacred area surrounded by a temenos. The lack of foundations that would testify to the existence of a temple, together with the presence of many shingles and of a wall that ran parallel to the containment wall, make experts think that this was a sacred area encircled by a portico. The two containment walls were built using different techniques, leading to the hypothesis that the sacred area was built in - at least - two stages: the first one was possibly during the late Roman Republic, the second one is hard to identify, but maybe it consisted of restoration works carried out under Caracalla.
Ara di Circe
(photo by Archivio Parco Nazionale del Circeo)
Ara di Circe
(photo by Archivio Parco Nazionale del Circeo)