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'Sichelen 1' temple

Drought brings things to light The temple complex of 'Sichelen' north of the amphitheatre was one of the earliest archaeological discoveries in the history of Swiss aerial photography. Figure: Aerial photograph taken in 1950

- Temple and sancutary - Gallo-Roman square temples on Schönbühl - Gallo-Roman square temples "Sichelen 2 & 3"
Today:		In Roman times:
The flat plateau between the Wildental Valley in the north and the amphitheatre hollow in the south once boasted an extensive temple complex. Test excavations carried out in 1958 brought to light the foundation walls of a Gallo-Roman square temple, together with a simple building (possibly the house of the priest?) and a long wall surrounding an area of 64 by 44 metres. Aerial photographs taken during the dry summer of 1950 had already revealed the basic design of the complex. As suggested by the building remains, an ambulatory had been added at a later stage to the temple itself. On the edge of the slope, and possibly at the centre of the enclosure wall, an 18 metres wide apsidal niche facing west towards the Ergolz Valley and the Grienmatt sanctuary was added during the first construction phase. One can imagine that the statue of a god once stood here, which would have been visible from afar or maybe sacrificial fires were lit here every so often. A large bronze bell was discovered in precisely this location, which was probably rung during temple ceremonies.
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