DIANA, AEDES
the temple of Diana on the Aventine (in Aventino,
CIL vi.
32323, 10, 32: Censorin. de die nat. 23. 6) ascribed by tradition to
Servius Tullius, who assembled here the representatives of the surrounding
Latin towns and persuaded them to build this temple as the common
sanctuary of the league, in imitation of the temple of Diana at Ephesus
and its relation to the Ionian cities (Varro,
LL v. 43:
commune Latinorum
Dianae templum;
Liv. i. 45. 2-6;
Dionys. iv. 26; de vir. ill. 7. 9). It
was the oldest and most important temple on the Aventine, ordinarily
known as Diana Aventina (
Prop. iv. 8. 29), or Aventinensis (Fest. 165;
Mart. vi. 64. 13 ; Val.
Max. vii. 3. 1), and the Aventine itself was called
collis Dianae (
Mart. xii. 18. 3 ;
vii. 73. I). It was near the thermae
Suranae (q.v.;
Mart. vi. 64. 13) and therefore probably just west of
the church of S. Prisca on the clivus Publicius (
BC 1914, 346). Besides
aedes, it is referred to as
templum (Varro,
LL v. 43 ;
Liv. i. 45),
fanum
(Liv. loc. cit.),
νεώς (
Dionys. iv. 26),
ἱερόν (
Dionys. iii. 43;
x. 32;
Plut. C. Gracch. 16),
Ἀρτεμίσιον (App.
BC. i. 26; Plut. q. Rom. 4),
1
Dianium (
Oros. v. 12;
CIL vi. 33922:
vestiarius de Dianio). The day
of its dedication was 13th August (
Mart. xii. 67. 2; Hemeroll. Allif.
Vall. Amit. Ant. Philoc. Rust. ad Id. Aug., CIL 12. pp. 217, 240, 244, 248,
270, 281; Fast. Ant. ap.
NS 1921, 106), celebrated throughout Italy
(Stat. Silv. iii. . 59-60), especially by slaves (Fest. 343:
servorum dies
festus vulgo existimatur Idus Aug. quod eo die Servius Tullius natus
servus aedem Dianae dedicaverit in Aventino cuius tutelae sint cervi).
This temple was rebuilt by L. Cornificius during the reign of Augustus
(Suct. Aug. 29). In this form it may be shown on coins (BM
Rep. ii. 15.
4355=Aug. 643); and it is probably represented under the name
aedes
Dianae Cornificianae on a fragment (2) of the Marble Plan (
BC 1891, 210-216;
CIL vi. 4305:
aedituus Dianae Cornif.), where it is drawn as
octostyle and dipteral, surrounded by a double colonnade. It was
standing in the fourth century (Not. Reg. XIII), but no trace of it has
been found. According to Censorinus (loc. cit.) one of the oldest sun-dials
in Rome was on this temple, and it contained a wooden statue resembling
that of Diana at Ephesus (Strabo iv. I. 5) brought to Rome from Marseilles, and another of marble (Plin.
NH xxxvi. 32 :
in magna admiratione
est.... Hecate Ephesi in templo Dianae post aedem).
In the Augustan period it contained a bronze stele on which was
engraved the compact between Rome and the Latin cities, probably a
copy of the original (
Dionys. iv. 26), and another with the lex Icilia de
Aventino publicando of 456 B.C. (
Dionys. x. 32). It must also have
contained a lex arae Dianae, which served as a model for other communities (
CIL iii. 1933 ;
xi. 361 ;
xii. 4333), and probably other ancient
documents. The date of the founding of this temple, and its real significance, have been the subject of much discussion (HJ 157-159;
Gilb.
ii. 236-241 ;
RE v. 332-333 ;
DE i. 177 ;
ii. 1734-1737 ; and esp. Merlin
203-226, 282-283, 303-305 and literature there cited). Cf. also Beloch,
Romische Geschichte, 192.
