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The Roman Forum. A Lesson About the Ancient Marketplace. What is the Roman Forum?. The word Forum generally referred to the open space in any Roman town where business, judicial, civic, or religious activities were conducted. In Rome, there were several forums. The most famous, the
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The Roman Forum A Lesson About the Ancient Marketplace
What is the Roman Forum? The word Forum generally referred to the open space in any Roman town where business, judicial, civic, or religious activities were conducted. In Rome, there were several forums. The most famous, the Roman Forum, was designed by the architect Vitruvius. For centuries, the Roman Forum was the site of the city's most important public buildings including the Arch of Septimius Severus, built in 203 B.C. and the Rostra or public speaking platforms. The Roman Forum became the spectacular showcase of the Empire filled with beautiful statues and architecture.
The Roman Forum depicted by Toni Onley in watercolor
Where is the Forum? The Roman Forum is located in a valley that is between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline hill. It originally was a marsh, but the Romans drained the area and turned it into a center of political and social activity. The Forum was the marketplace of Rome and also the business district and civic center. It was expanded to include temples, a senate house and law courts. When the Roman Empire fell, the Forum became forgotten, buried and was used as a cattle pasture during the Middle Ages.
What did people do there? People would come to the Forum to buy and sell anything and everything: meats and produce; shoes and clothes; people - slaves, prostitutes, mercenaries; and even money. One could come to the Forum, get food for supper, hire a mercenary to protect the homestead, and get a loan for that add-on to the house.
What is left of the Forum? Although much of the forum has been destroyed, there are still columns and stone blocks that remain of some temples. The arch of Titus and the arch of Septimius Severus still stand and are in good shape. Like many other ancient Roman buildings, stone blocks have been removed from the Forum and used to build nearby churches and palaces.
Major/Important Structures & Architecture
The arch honors Septimius Severus's Victory over the Parthians. It also honors his two sons, Caracalla and Geta who fought with him in the war. It has on each long side four free-standing Corinthian columns flanking the three arches. It is located at one end of the Forum. The Forum had been flooded, buried and forgotten for many centuries. During this time the half of the arch that was above ground was used to house a barber shop.
The temple of Saturn was erected by the consul Titus Larcius in 17 B.C. in the month of December. It is the oldest structure. It was used as the public treasury and as a repository for the decrees of the senate. The poet Horace worked in this treasury when he was a young man. Treasures were held in an underground chamber. The temple was enlarged in 42 B.C. and rebuilt after a fire in the 4th century A.D. Eight columns remain of this temple.
The Curia is the largest brick building that still has a roof in the Forum. It was the Roman Senate building. The building was a church until 1937, when the fascist government had the interior removed and the original interior exposed. What is left today of the ancient senate building is the original marble floor made out of Egyptian marble. Also, the tiers that held the seats of the senators remain. The Curia is one of the best preserved buildings in the Forum.
The temple of Antoninus and Faustina is the best preserved building in the Forum. The Emperor Antonius Pius lost his wife Faustina. After her death the Emperor built a magnificent temple in her honor in 141 AD. This temple was changed in the middle ages into the church of "San Lorenzo in Miranda".
The arch of Titus is located at the opposite end of the forum from the arch of Septimius Severus. Titus was the emperor that had sacked the great Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The arch was built in his honor. Sculptures on this arch show the treasure of the Jews being taken through the streets of Rome. On the inside of the left leg of this arch, there is a well known sculpture of Romans carrying away a Jewish menorah.
The Rostra was the speaker’s platform on the Roman Forum. The Rostra is located in the main square, between the Arch of Septimius Severus and the Temple of Saturn. The speakers platform was originally placed on the Comitium, but moved to the main square of the forum by Julius Caesar in 44 BC.
