Every
government has a nerve centre, and ancient
Rome was no exception. Rome as a city
needed a centre as well, and both Rome
the empire and Rome the city were controlled
from The Forum of Rome. It was so important
and it’s actions of control and
government so revolutionary that when
something (like a theatre for example)
is called “The Forum” this
is the building it is named after.
The Roman Forum was not simply the core
of an ancient city; for many it was the
centre of the entire world. From the birth
of the empire under Augustus in 31 B.C.,
and for nearly five hundred years thereafter,
Rome ruled from the Forum. From Scotland
to the Sahara, and from Gibraltar to the
Euphrates, the Roman Empire was able to
make the world do what it wanted and give
it tribute (or else).
As for the city of Rome, the Forum allowed
the set up of urban planning and design
and the construction, the funding of governmental
institutions, and the creator of startling
new horizons in architecture.
The
Forum was filled with temples and statues
dedicated to the great people of the civilization
of Rome. Here the office of weights and
measures was situated. The podiums of
the temples of Caesar and the Dioscuri
were often used as orators' platforms
and it is in this part of the Forum that
the meetings of the comitia took place.
The Forum was also a marketplace for Rome,
a business and commerce district, and
a civic centre.
Today much of the forum has been destroyed.
Columns and stone blocks are all that
remain of some temples, statues, and markets.
The arch of Titus and the arch of Septimius
Severus still stand and are in good shape,
although over the year wars and nature
have taken their toll. Like many other
ancient Roman buildings, stone blocks
have been removed from the Forum and used
to build nearby churches and palaces.
When the Roman Empire fell, the Forum
became forgotten, buried, and was used
as a cattle pasture during the Middle
Ages.
Imperial
Forum Travel Links |
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