Between the years 1936 and 1937, in the area of the antique Foro Boario, a square foundation, made of volcanic tuff was discovered, on which the remains of two cells were found and an underground room, two large altars in peperino, sacred wells and paving in several layers indicating a complex stratigraph.
The most important discovery were the remains of an archaic temple under the apse of the S. Omobono church. This temple is the earliest example of a Tuscan type of temple in a Roman environment probably dated at the first half of the VI Century. It was reconstructed after a few decades, complete with all its decorations and later destroyed at the end of the VI Century a.d. The temple is 11.54 m. wide and has a 36 ft. square plan, on a high podium of volcanic tuff. The height of the podium is 1.61 m., the cell wall is 4.7 m. high and the total height of the temple is about 7.5 m.
There is a 7 ft. wide staircase with 7 stairs at the front entrance. The temple had a pronaos supported by two front columns having a unique cell separated by alae. The decorative frontonal plaques, having a feline form, appear to belong to the first period. The primitive temple was probably destroyed by fire and reconstructed, still within the second half of the VI Century a.d. and a counter podium 80 cm. wide was added.
Most of the earthenware and the lining plates belong to this period. The temple building also has an altar in tuff slabs in the front of the temple.
The place was dedicated to Mater Matuta, the divinity appearing in the decoration of the temple belonging to the area of the emporium on the river. According to the myth, Leucotea, the goddess of Theban origin, landed with the help of the Naiadi on the banks of the Tiber, taking the name of Mater Matukta. She was together with her son Portunus to whom a small temple in the same area is dedicated, at the Emilio bridge.
The sanctuary, located at the front of the port area was therefore connected to the troubled arrival of Leucotea-Mater Matuta with the small Portunus. The goddess still keeps to her character of the Protector of Navigation in the Latium environment. The importance of this area around S,. Omobono is the aspect of written culture, shown by written objects which are often to be found in sanctuaries, especially in places animated by exchanges such as those that took place in antique emporiums.
At the end of the VI Century, the temple of Mater Matuta was destroyed following the expulsion of the Tarquinians from Rome, The temple was buried in earth taken from the inside of the new podium.
The two coupled but distinct temples were reconstructed at the beginning of the V Century a.d. on this podium formed by a wall of large peperino blocks, 4 meters high in all. Each had its own cella in outcropping blocks, the western one dedicated to Fortuna and the eastern one to Mater Matuta. The two temples were destroyed by fire in 212 b.c. and reconstructed at the end of the III Century a.d. There is a trace of a reconstruction during the period of Adriano having travertine paving and temple structures. In the Sevinian period there were probably remains of the area with Tabernae at the back, the sides and in the front of the temple.
IN the VI Century, a early Christian church was built into the pagan church. In the XII – XIII Centuries, the church was restored by the laying of a new paving of the Cosmatesque type. In 1482, the church was reconstructed and named S.Salvatore in Porticu, until 1700 when it was dedicated definitely to SS.Omobono and Antonio. In 1940, the church was isolated, restored and repaved.
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 | | | I Municipio
Rione XII
Regio VIII - Forum Romanum
Via L. Petroselli (angolo via Vico Jugario) |  |
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