MAGNA MATER, THOLUS
a round temple, adorned with frescoes, at the
top of the Sacra via, where the clivus Palatinus branched off to the south
(
Mart. i. 70.9-10:
flecte vias hac qua madidi sunt tecta Lyaei 1 / et Cybeles
picto stat Corybante tholus). Its approximate site is also probably
indicated by the Haterii relief on which, to the immediate left of the arch
of Titus, is a statue of the Magna Mater seated under an arch at the
top of a flight of thirteen steps (Mon. d.
Inst. v. 7 ;
Mitt. 1895, 25-27;
Altm. 71-72;
Rosch. ii. 2917). Spano believes the arch to be a Janus
erected at the four cross-roads near the meta sudans-perhaps on or
near the site of the arch of Constantine. He does not even quote the
passage of Martial (Atti Accad. Napoli xxiv. (1906, ii.) 227-262). A
passage in Cass. Dio (xlvi. 33. 3: cr7rep T- T-e iT)
ὥσπερ τὸ τε τῆς Μητρὸς τῶν θεῶν ἄγαλμα τὸ ἐν τῷ Παλατίῳ ὀν πρὸς γάρ τοι τὰς τοῦ ἡλίου ἀνατολὰς πρότερον βλέπων πρὸς δυσμὰς ἀπὸ ταὐτομάτου μετεστπάφη) is generally supposed
to refer to this temple.
