FORUM ROMANUM – TRAVELS IN ROME PART II

Forum Romanum Surroundings of Forum Romanum in Rome Surroundings of Forum Romanum in Rome, Image Source – Shutterstock Located to the west of the Colosseum is the birthplace of the Roman civilization. Walking down Via di Fori Imperiali, we turn left and go down the hill to visit ‘the most famous meeting place in the world.’ The political and economic hub of the ancient Roman Republic was originally a valley between the Palatine and Capitoline hills. This marshy area was drained in the 6th century BC by constructing an enormous sewer called the “Cloaca Maxima” and developed as the center of Roman public life. Ruins of Forum Romanum Ruins of Forum Romanum, Image Source – Shutterstock Important structures like law courts, temples, memorials were built during the period of the Roman Republic. The word “Forum” in Latin denotes a marketplace and is derived from “ferre” which means ‘to carry’. There were different fora for different wares like Forum Boarium(cattle market), Forum Olitorium (vegetable market), Forum Piscarium (fish market), Forum Vinarium (wine market) etc. The Forum Magnum (large marketplace) later came to known as Forum Romanum and became the focal point of commerce, politics, religion and social life. Tempio del Divo Giulio Walking down to the main square of the Forum, we come to the temple dedicated to Julius Caesar. He was assassinated on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. by Cassius, Brutus and other senators who accused him of becoming a dictator. The shrine which is also known as the Temple of the Comet star was built by his grand-nephew and heir Augustus Caesar. The original temple is now in ruins but a semi-circular apse marks the site of his cremation. The appearance of a comet during the games organized by Augustus sometimes later was taken as the soul of Julius Caesar who had ascended to heaven. Augustus used the cult ofDivus Julius and got coins minted in his name to consolidate his own power. The ruins of the shrine are scattered on the ground in front of the apse. Nearby is the Rostrum from where Mark Antony delivered his famous speech and read out the Will of Julius Caesar after the assassination. I could imagine the dramatic funeral scene as Antony’s speech immortalized by Shakespeare in his play “Julius Caesar” rang in my ears – “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him…..” Tempio di Dioscuri Temple of Dioscuri Temple of Dioscuri – Forum Romanus, Image Source – Shutterstock The three imposing marble columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollox remind us of the cult of the divine twins or Dioscuri. According to legend, the divine twins led the Romans to victory against the Latin tribes at Lake Regillus in the 5th century B.C. They appeared in the Forum where they watered and washed their horses at the spring of Juturna near the temple of Vesta. Basilica Julia The ruins of the foundations of Basilica Julia are scattered over a large rectangular area. This was once a huge ornate structure built by Julius Caesar after he subjugated the Gallic tribes in 1st century B.C. It was completed by Augustus after Caesar’s death. The basilica housed law courts and administrative offices. Basilica Aemilia Forum Romanus Bascilica of Aemilia Forum Romanus Basilica of Aemilia The ruins of Basilica Aemilia remind us of a bygone era when a ‘basilica’ was not a church but a public building which served an official and judicial function. The Basilica Fulvius Aemilia was built on the site of Tabernacle in ancient times. These were shops built of bricks and rented out to tenants by the state which indicates that the site was also a market-place. These tabernacles were later turned over to argentarii or money changers and bankers. Their business was destroyed by fire in the 3rd century B.C. These tabernacles were later rebuilt as argentariae novae. The Roman censors Fulvius and Aemilius built the basilica in the 2nd century B.C. Many changes were made to this basilica over the centuries. Curia Julia Forum Romanus Curia Julia Forum Romanus Curia Julia, Image Source – Shutterstock Built by Julius Caesar, this was the senate house of the Roman Republic. After it was destroyed in a fire, Diocletian restored the building in the 4th century and the brick facade survives even today. This structure is also known as Chiesa di Sant’Adriano al Foro dedicated to the Christian martyr Saint Hadrian of Nicomedia. In the 7th century, it was converted into the church of Saint Hadrian by Pope Honorius I. The Italian government acquired this and an adjacent convent in 1922 and deconsecrated it restoring it as an ancient monument. But many of the frescoes were destroyed or damaged during the restoration. The dome of the Chiesa dei Santi Luca e Martina rises adjacent the Curia. This is dedicated to Saint Martina, a Christian martyr of the 3rd century. The church was rebuilt in the 17th century. Arco di Settimio Severo Arch of Septimius Severus Forum Romanum – Arch of Septimius Severus, Image Source – Shutterstock The three-way marble arch of Septimius Severus was built in the 3rd century to commemorate the victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his sons over the Parthians in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. Nearby stands a tall Corinthian column-‘Colonna di Phocas’ dedicated to the Byzantine emperor- which once supported a gilded statue. The Column of Phocas is the last honorary monument constructed in the Forum. Phocas is also remembered as the ruler who bequeathed the pagan temple Pantheon to the Catholic Church .