The rescue of the imposing decagonal aula, known as the Temple of Minerva Medica, situated in via Giolitti will be a complex undertaking. The extensive bibliography makes this structure appear to be one of the most studied from antiquity. This contrasts with the severe undervaluation of the problems of stability, which has led to the collapse of almost the entire dome. Insufficient funding, following the complex restoration carried out in the 1940s, has meant that only very limited face-lifts have been undertaken since. The causes of the building’s instability are becoming clearer following an accurate survey of the aula which mapped all structural lesions, the conclusion of the monitoring of acoustic vibrations and the start of geognostic and endoscopic investigations within the walls and foundations. The lack of homogeneity of the terrain on which the foundations rest seems to be principally responsible for the structural problems, with differential subsidence of the structures. What has emerged with increasing clarity during the course of investigations is, on the one hand the boldness of the architectural construction, for which direct observation suggest a post-Constantinian date, somewhere in the first decades of the 4th century, and on the other hand the necessity of re-building the dome and the supporting structures of the aula “a margherita”, before further ruinous collapse occurs. The lack of money available to date has recently been compensated by the creation of a substantial fund, at the request of Adriano La Regina, from the Soprintendenza’s budget. This fund will finance the urgent operations of consolidation and restoration on the monument. The start of this project is at present being programmed together with the final investigations that need to be undertaken. (Mariarosaria Barbera)

The investigations undertaken in the area of the so-called Temple of Minerva Medica aimed to ascertain the structural stability of the foundations of several pilasters and niches supporting the cupola which is still in situ. The trenches dug revealed evidence of five construction and occupation phases on the site. _Period I (early to middle Imperial period)_ The earliest evidence of building activity on the site is documented by a collapsed wall, foundation structures and floors in beaten earth and opus signinum. The layer of earth covering the floors contained pottery datable to the 1st/2nd century A.D. _Period II (4th century A.D.)_ In period II a decagonal hall was added, of which the remains of brick floors, several praefurniae and bath pools were seen. Several bricks bore stamps datable to the beginning of the 4th century A.D. A number of suspensurae were preserved on the hypocaust floor on top of which the floor of the bath pools would have originally rested. The pools were probably made of opus signinum and faced, as would have been the niches, with marble slabs and opus sectile decoration. _Period III_ This period is attested by heavy robbing of building materials and the decorative elements. _Period IV (modern era – 19th century)_ A large ditch was excavated along the exterior of the monument, removing part of the floor and walls. The fill from the ditch contained modern pottery, including glazed wares and majolica. The levelling carried out inside the aula was undertaken in the 19th century. This lowering of the ground level led to the removal of the aula’s original structures and floors and archaeological levels relating to structures pre-dating the aula were reached. _Period V (modern era – 20th century)_ Excavations were undertaken by F. W. Deichmann in the 1940s and 50s following the construction of a sewer. Unpublished excavations were undertaken by the Archaeological Superintendency for Rome in the 1980s. (Mariarosaria Barbera, Paola Palazzo)