In the archaeological area located in Portonaccio, Rome, is one of the sanctuaries of the Etruscan city of Veio, situated outside the city walls on a natural plateau overlooking the valley traversed by the Fosso della Mola (a tributary of the ancient Cremera). The sanctuary encloses the oldest and most remarkable example of a Tuscan temple known so far.
It was originally adorned with a splendid polychrome terracotta decoration culminating on the roof’s summit in a series of life-size statues, including the famous late-archaic group of Apollo and Hercules, facing each other in a struggle for the possession of the deer with golden antlers. Next to the temple stood a pool intended for ritual ablutions and, further east, a large altar. From the dedicatory inscriptions and the acroterial and votive statues, we know that Minerva and Apollo were worshiped in the sanctuary.
