The Forum Romanum

The Forum Romanum, or Forum of Rome, is located at the junction between Via Cavor and Via Dei Fori Imperiali. Itcontains a variety of buildings including temples, libraries, shrines, and basilicas. Lucius Tarquinius Priscus built it in 700 BC. It was to be a marketplace. He also desired for it to be the center of political and economic life in Rome. In 283 AD, a fire burned most of it to the ground and it had to be remodeled. Many of the imperial buildings preserved the aura of the earlier Republican precedent. Additionally, it contains a Forum museum which has a significant collection of sculptures and artifacts. When a public figure dies, “his body is escorted across the Forum and…carried…to the Rostra” (Polybius). The Arch of Septimius Severus was set across the Via Sacra in 203 AD. After the fire that burned much of the Forum down, the Basilica Julia and the Senate House were built in fine style.

The Arch of Augustus spans between the Temple of Castor and the Temple of Divus Julius; it celebrates Augustus’ war victories. Temples were built and dedicated to important Romans such as the Temple of the deified Julius Caesar. The Senate House turned the Forum square into a political and monumental precinct. Furthermore, the Forum contains many honorary statues. The Forum Romanum was the center of Roman public life. People could “…take issues to court and where people bring their merchandise to sell" (Varro).

Trials, banking, and schooling were also present. Those under the Napoleonic regime marked the beginning of the clearing of the Forum. The travel time paving in the center has been mostly robbed or removed to permit modern excavations. Today, the ruins of the Forum are major tourist attractions. In conclusion, this is a truly
breathtaking Roman monument.

Works Cited:

Claridge, Amanda, Judith Toms, and Tony Cubberley. Rome: an Oxford Archaeological Guide to Rome. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998. Print.

"Forum Romanum, Rome (Photo Archive)." Photo Archive (Photo Archive). Web. 17 Feb. 2011.

"Roman Forum." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 17 Feb. 2011.

Polybius. History.

Varro. Latin Language.