Under Etruscan influence, 6th century Rome was transformed from a village into a city. Wattle and daub huts were replaced by houses made of mudbrick and based on stone foundations.
In 509 BC the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline hill, constructed under the supervision of Etruscan engineers and craftsmen, was completed. The original temple was made of mudbrick and wood, but was destroyed by a fire in 83 BC. It was later rebuilt with marble pillars.
The temple rested on a massive podium, which could be reached through a monumental staircase. A portico consisting of three rows of six pillars gave way to three cult chambers; the central one dedicated to Jupiter, the side rooms to Juno and Minerva.
