The sanctuary of Apollo on the Palatine is one of the most important Augustan buildings. Situated very close to the first emperor's private residence, it is central for our understanding of Augustan culture. As one of its main functions, from at least 12 BCE the temple of Apollo accommodated the libri Sibyllini, one of Rome's most precious religious possessions. Another part of the sanctuary was a prestigious library that featured a Latin and a Greek section and played an important role in the

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... ives of the contemporary poets. By means of an interdisciplinary approach, I demonstrate that the combined influence of these two functions of the Palatine sanctuary can still be recognized today in the fact that the Augustan poets started to call themselves vates. It will be shown that a combination of historical, archeological, and philological research can lead to a better understanding of this interesting phenomenon of the Augustan epoch which until now has almost only been approached from a philological point of view.