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Inside the inhabited centre of Casalbore (AV), in the locality of Macchia Porcara, near a spring, situated downstream of the Pescasseroli-Candela sheep-track, a cult building has been brought to light, datable to the III century B.C., but which preserves traces of a more ancient votive area, datable to the VI century B.C..
The hexastyle temple (with six columns), referable to a very common typology in a medium Italic environment, has an almost square cell between two open wings; the walls of the cell continue to the front and end with doors, among which the traces of the columns remain. In the area in front of the temple, at the sides of the altar, the remains of a portico have emerged. The steps leading to the temple have two large basins with fountains at the sides, fed by the nearby spring. The floors were in cocciopesto with limestone tiles and the walls painted in the first style (structural).
From the analysis of the votive deposits it is assumed that the sanctuary was dedicated to the goddess Mephitis. Unlike the more famous and important sanctuary dedicated to this goddess, in the Ansanto valley, which remained active until the first imperial age, the temple of Casalbore was destroyed during the annibalic wars (215 B.C.).
