The Italic Sanctuary of Monte Torre Maggiore and the Sky

Abstract

The sanctuaries on mountain peaks along the Apennine Chain were very common for the Italic people. One of them is the sanctuary on the Monte Torre Maggiore, 1120 m height over the plain occupied by Terni, the ancient Interamna Nahars. The earliest worship place of this site was probably of 500 BC, but today we can see the remains of two monumental temples of the third and second centuries BC. Here we discuss the link of the site to the observation of the sky. We will point out the peculiar orientation of the monuments along moonrise on a minor lunar standstill. A link to the sunrise on the summer solstice is also present.