Santuario Siriaco del Gianicolo - Syrian Sanctuary on the Janiculum

An interesting and charming archaeological site that bears witness to the rise and fall of pagan religions throughout the history of ancient Rome. Discovered by chance in 1906 at the foot of Villa Sciarra and then excavated starting in 1908, the so-called Syrian Sanctuary on the Janiculum owes its name to one of the first hypotheses regarding the complex’s intended use (that is, the worship of distant Syrian deities), formulated on the basis of several inscriptions.

Following excavations and research conducted since 2000, it is now believed that the site was a sacred place dedicated to Osiris. Due to its characteristics and the nearby presence of eggs and other ritual objects, the bronze statuette of a male figure wrapped in the coils of a snake found in an underground chamber (and now preserved in the Museo Nazionale Romano - Baths of Diocletian) would in fact depict the Egyptian god of death and resurrection. The marble statues of Dionysus and a black basalt pharaoh would confirm the dedication to the Egyptian cults of the underworld and fertility.

The complex dates back to the 4th century, although it stands on the remains of earlier buildings from the 1st-2nd centuries AD. It consists of two series of rooms of different shapes, separated by a large central courtyard. Its uniqueness is enhanced by the fact that it was most likely not a public temple but a late antique domus where pagan cults continued to be practised privately after Christianity became the only religion permitted by the Empire with the Edict of Thessalonica in 380. In this context, the archaeological area is an important testimony to both the presence and permanence of pagan cults of Eastern origin in a commercial and productive area along the right bank of the Tiber.

However, the history of this place is also linked to the origins of the city. One of the many inscriptions found in the area refers to the nymph Furrina, an archaic deity possibly associated with underground waters and wells. It is possible that this was the site of the Lucus Furrinae, the forest sacred to the nymph, where in 121 BC the Roman politician Gaius Gracchus took his own life rather than fall into the hands of his opponents after losing popular favor.

Photo Soprintendenza Speciale Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio di Roma © Fabio Caricchia