Blogging from A to Z: Z is for Zeus Meilichios, Temple of

Altar and cella, Temple of Zeus Meilichios. Istvánka / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Hi, everyone. Can you believe it? It’s the last day of the 2020 A to Z Challenge. I’ll do a summary post in a couple of days.

This is another building that was closed when I visited. The temple is the smallest at Pompeii, and may be found adjacent to the Temple of Isis and the theatre complex (which includes the Quadriportico). There is some argument over whether it was dedicated to Zeus/Jupiter or Aesculapius/Asclepius, based on some statuary found there and now housed in the Naples Archaeological Museum.

Zeus Meilichios is what’s referred to as an epithet: a second name based on a particular aspect of the deity. That aspect might be regional, such as Venus Pompeiia, or about some part of their personality. In this case, the epithet literally translates to “sweet as honey,” so it refers to a god who is easy to approach with needs and who is likely to listen to one’s prayers.