Vulcanal

Vulcanal was an ancient Roman open-air sanctuary (templum) dedicated to Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge. According to Roman tradition, it was established by Romulus, the legendary founder and first king of Rome, on the site of a grove before the formal founding of the city.

The Vulcanal was located in the Forum Romanum, in the area that later became the Comitium. This placement signifies its great antiquity, as it predates the more formalized and structured religious practices of later Roman times. It lay below the level of the later Forum's pavement, suggesting it was built directly on the Capitoline Hill slope.

Archaeological evidence supports the legendary accounts of its early construction. The site contained a tufa altar (a sacrificial platform) and an archaic inscription.

Important public meetings sometimes took place at the Vulcanal, and sacrifices were offered to Vulcan there. Due to Vulcan's association with fire, which could be both beneficial and destructive, the site was a place of propitiation and appeasement. Festivals, called Vulcanalia, were held in Vulcan's honor, particularly during the summer months when the risk of fire was highest.

The Vulcanal was not a temple in the traditional sense with a roofed structure; rather, it was an open-air sacred space. Its location and purpose highlight the importance of Vulcan in early Roman religion and the ongoing concern with fire and its potential dangers in the ancient city. Over time, as the Forum Romanum was developed and paved, the Vulcanal was partially covered over, although it continued to be recognized as a significant religious site.