From 2001 to 2005 archaeological excavations by the „Landesmuseum Kärnten“ took place in St. Michael/Zollfeld. The archaeological excavations revealed a prostyle temple with the size of 16,8 x 9,6 meters and a quadriporticus (60 x 52 m) with exedra duplex. The districts dates to the period of Hadrian in the 2^nd century AD. The construction of the temple district may propose the hypothesis that the temple was dedicated to three gods with different importance. In this case the exedrae would be two sacral areas and the temple itself would be the central third sacral area. Inscriptions and sculpture fragments provide the dedication to Hercules and Mars. In this context also the Imperial cult could have been an issue.

The remarkable similarity to the Roman Forum Augustum with the temple of Mars Ultor has to be highlighted. This includes the similarity of the porticus with exedra duplex, the alignment of the temple front, the exedrae apex and the midpoints of the exedrae and there is even a similar shape and proportionality in the second building period of St. Michael. Maybe there are also similarities within the ritual. From the so-called “Templeäcker” we know the fragment of a dedication altar with the reconstructable inscription of Ma[rti] / Ult[ori] / T(itus). This is of major importance for the research since Mars Ultor only appears in private life outside the capital Rome and there are no other dedications from sanctuaries.

The project is supported by a DOC Fellowship of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The research aim is to submit the whole stratigraphy, find material and a typology of Roman temples in the province. The temple district should also be classified within this typology.