censored, they were placed in two golden drawers in the base of the statue of Apollo
(Suet. Augustus31.1). The utilization of a cult statue’s base as a storage space for
cult objects was by no means unusual. However, since in a marked difference to a
year-round oracular activity, the Sibylline Books were consulted only in exceptional
circumstances and in a complex procedure (Scheid 1998a), their transfer to the Palatine
was hardly motivated by considerations relating to cult practice. Rather, with this
symbolic act the “young” Apollo temple became part of the traditional history of
the Greek oracle excerpts – which would normally be revised only through the
selection and interpretation of the priests.
This intended elevation of the shrine’s status to that of a supra-regional cult cen-
ter is reflected in an Augustan base from Sorrento (Balensiefen 2002: fig. 135 =Lefèvre
1989: fig. 28): the Palatine cult sites of the Magna Mater, Vesta, and the Apollonian
triad are shown on three complementary display sides of the base. The new topo-
graphical association of the Sibylline oracles with Apollo Palatinus is visualized by a
monumental tripod in the background of the image and a Sibyl with a sitella(urn
for drawing lots) sitting at the feet of the lyre-playing god. The difference in the
semantics of art and literature is remarkable: the early Augustan poets had always
presented the oracle-giver Sibyl in the Greek cult tradition as the inspired seer (vates),
proclaiming Rome’s brilliant future in oralprophecies. By contrast, the visual sym-
bol of the urn is more in keeping with the experience of a contemporary beholder,
who would associate the consultation of an oracle with the Italic cult practice of
receiving one’s answer on a lot, in writing(Champeaux 1990).
The Temple of Fortuna Augusta in
Daily Urban Life
The Apollo sanctuary on the Palatine has served as an example of a shrine that
was originally conceived as a victory monument, but which was then systematically
built up by the “highest power” into a multi-functional cult center and cultural cen-
ter. The temple of Fortuna Augusta at Pompeii offers an insight into the necessary
flexibility in the everyday business of a cult site, as well as its legal and purpose-
oriented integration into the urban environment (L. Richardson 1988: 202– 6;
Eschebach 1993: 272). Because of its exclusive location on the Palatine, Rome’s most
affluent residential area, the Augustan Apollo sanctuary was far above the hustle and
bustle of the Forum, the harbor, and the market. By contrast, the temple of Fortuna
Augusta at Pompeii (fig. 15.2), located at a busy intersection immediately north of
the Forum and opposite the Forum baths (7), participates fully in the daily life of
the city.
The identification and dating of the building (1) to before 3 bc has been
confirmed by inscriptions found on site (CIL10.820 – 8). A full view of the layout
shows that the wall of the sanctuary did enclose a two-storey staff building (3) south
of the temple. The irregular floor plan with the projecting hall (F) is a result of the
legal situation: an inscription (CIL10.821), found in a section of the road next to
the temple, marked the border between sacred and private land. There was no source
218 Ulrike Egelhaaf-Gaiser