"The temples of Pompeii, although they did not reach the precious splendor of the marble colonnades of the temples from the imperial age, nevertheless allow us to witness the religious life of the city from its obscure origins to its tragic burial:
the Doric Temple of the Triangular Forum with the venerable relics of its capitals bearing the still severe archaic shape of the temples of Magna Graecia and Sicily;
the Temple of Apollo from the early Samnite period;
the Temple of Jupiter connected to the last urban plan of the Forum and reconsecrated as the temple and capitolium of the city by the Roman colonists;
the Temple of Venus likely also attributable to the Sicilian colony; the marvelous sanctuary of Isis so precious for the documentation of the introduction of the cult of Egyptian deities in Campania;
the tiny shrine of Zeus Meilichios, a cult imported from Greek-Sicilian origins; and finally, the temples of the imperial cult of Fortuna Augusta and Vespasian."
the Temple of Apollo from the early Samnite period;
the Temple of Jupiter connected to the last urban plan of the Forum and reconsecrated as the temple and capitolium of the city by the Roman colonists;
the Temple of Venus likely also attributable to the Sicilian colony; the marvelous sanctuary of Isis so precious for the documentation of the introduction of the cult of Egyptian deities in Campania;
the tiny shrine of Zeus Meilichios, a cult imported from Greek-Sicilian origins; and finally, the temples of the imperial cult of Fortuna Augusta and Vespasian."
"[...] the venerable remains of an archaic Doric Temple, whose construction, based on the few surviving architectural elements (three capitals and a strongly flattened echinus) and the architectural terracottas found in old and very recent excavations, can be dated to the mid-6th century B.C., that is, the period when Pompeii, although not a city of Greek foundation, was undoubtedly under the maritime hegemony of Cumae and Neapolis. The deity to whom the temple was originally dedicated was certainly Hercules, whose myth was linked to the legend of the city's origin; later, the cult of Athena was associated with Hercules."
"Temple of Apollo with its enclosed area surrounded by a portico of 48 columns, and the cella raised on a high podium surrounded by a Corinthian colonnade, with 6 columns on the front: in front of the temple steps is the travertine altar (with an inscription dating back to the Republican era), and on one side is a sundial supported by a column of Phrygian marble, placed there at the expense of the duumviri L. Sepunius and M. Erennius.
The Temple, built in the Samnite age on an area consecrated since the 6th century to the cult of Apollo, underwent profound modifications in the Neronian age [...]. The statue of Apollo against the third column of the eastern portico and the bust of Diana, opposite it, both depicted with arrows, are copies of the originals found here and which are exhibited at the National Museum of Naples."
"The Temple of Jupiter of Italic type [...] became, with the arrival of the Sicilian colony, the sacred temple of the Capitoline triad of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva: indeed, a colossal head of Jupiter was found there (Museum of Naples). [...]
Opposite the Temple of Jupiter, on the south side, were three deep rooms intended for municipal offices, namely the seat of the Duumviri, the Aediles, and the Ordo Decurionum [...]"
"Temple of Venus (sacred to the cult of Pompeian Venus, protector goddess of the city), of which unfortunately only meager remains of the original temple and the materials prepared but not yet finished from the last reconstruction remain."
"The Temple of Isis, of pre-Roman age, but almost entirely rebuilt after the earthquake of 62 A.D. at the expense of N. Popidius Celsinus, to whom, according to the inscription found on the architrave of the entrance door, was granted, despite being six years underage, the adlectio into the ordo decurionum, is the best preserved of the city's temples and one of the best preserved Isis temples in the Greco-Roman world. Structures, decoration, and sacred furnishings were found at the time of discovery in perfect condition: but, after the plaster was removed and cut, and the cult objects taken away, paintings and sculptures are now displayed in one of the rooms of the Museum of Naples. The sanctuary, enclosed by high walls, consists of a shrine on a high podium with a pronaos and a narrow rectangular cella, where the simulacra, symbols, and sacred instruments of the Isiac cult were displayed [...]"
"More modest was the Small Temple of Jupiter Meilichios, at the corner of the Via d'Iside with the Via di Stabia, which by the epithet of the deity itself (Zeus Meilichios) recalls a cult imported from Greece (almost certainly from Sicily), of pre-Roman origin. In front of the temple is a large and beautiful altar in tuff, and the remains of two capitals that crowned the doorposts are also in tuff. In the Roman age and after the earthquake of 62, the small temple had to temporarily replace the main temple of the Forum and host the cult of the Capitoline triad; this is at least inferred from the fact that two large terracotta statues of Jupiter and Juno, along with a bust of Minerva (now in the Museum of Naples), were found here."
"Temple of Fortuna Augusta, sacred to the imperial cult, built at his own expense and on his own land in 3 B.C. by duumvir Marcus Tullius, who had a public tomb outside the Porta di Stabia. Inside the cella, which was supposed to be entirely covered with marble, is a shrine (now reconstructed) on the back wall with the dedicatory inscription, and four niches in the side walls intended to hold honorary statues, one of which was dedicated to Augustus venerated under the name of parens patriae."
"[...] the Temple of Vespasian, sacred to the imperial cult. The beautiful altar in the center depicts a sacrifice scene (priest sacrificing, a victimarius, lictors, a suonatore di soppio flute player, and young attendants of the ceremony); in the shrine at the back was placed the cult statue."
Pompeii - Amedeo Maiuri
