Around 92 BC, a C. Sextius Calvinus of praetorian rank restored an
altar dedicated to sei deo sei divae ("whichever god or goddess"). Although most often identified as the son of the consul of 124 BC, the elder Sextius is believed by
E. Badian to have been responsible for the
inscription. The small altar was found near
Sant'Anastasia on the lower west part of the
Palatine Hill in 1829. Made of
travertine, it has the hourglass shape that came into use in Rome around the time of the
Second Punic War. The
Ara Calvini ("Altar of Calvinus"), sometimes called the
Ara Dei Ignoti ("Altar of the Unknown God"), is in the collections of the Antiquario Palatino (Palatine Hill Museum). ==See also==