Among the monuments along the route of the so-called clivio Palatino, there is a large cement podium immediately west of the western pillar of the arch of Domitian. The podium remains measure 24 m at the front and 47 m along the sides. The short side faces east towards the clivio Palatino. The podium was broken into six large segments, of varying sizes and appearance, emerging above ground level at different heights.

The very bad state of preservation is due to the presence of deep cavity below, discovered by P. Rosa during his excavations. The cavities have caused the subsidence of the structure above, leading to the opening of large cracks in its nucleus. The cement podium was excavated in 1866 by P. Rosa. Based on his interpretation of the sources he thought he would uncover the remains of the temple of Jupiter Stator. The excavation was difficult as the monument lay under over 9 m of earth. According to Rosa, the rear of the podium rested on the tufa of the hill, whilst at the centre at foundation level, tufa blocks were found, some bearing the inscription “Pilocrate/Diocle\”.

Lastly, Rosa’s excavation led to the discovery of other monumental structures in the area, including a large opus caementicium structure situated immediately west of the podium and extending both to the north-south and towards the Neronian cryptoporticus of the domus Tiberiana. Rosa’s investigations were followed by those of G. Boni in 1918. Boni excavated the west pillar of the arch of Domitian. However, he interpreted the remains uncovered by Rosa not as belonging to a temple but rather to the \“Turris Iniquitatis\”, a medieval fortification.

The merit for the reopening of the discussion in this regard goes to F. Castagnoli, who in 1964 suggested that the cement nucleus, dating to the early imperial period, was the temple of Victory. Subsequently, in an important study in 1987, M. Torelli suggested that the podium was what remained of the aedes Iovis in Palatio, known by the epithet of Victor in the Cataloghi Regionari. Coarelli’s hypothesis is similar but with the some differences: in his opinion the temple podium is that of Iuppiter Invictus and not of Iuppiter Victor. Lastly, Tomei’s theory, based on the reconstruction of the Palatine’s topography, partially debates the traditional positions.

On the basis of the above, a series of investigations were undertaken in October-November 2009 with the aim of revising the known data, excavating, checking the condition of the preserved walls, with a view to their restoration and the recovery of the monument and adjacent sectors. This preliminary study will be followed by more specific field work, with the opening of new excavation areas.