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by: LeonKammer
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There is a very unique part of Roman history that you will want to visit between Palatine Hill and Capitoline Hill near Rome. The Forum Romanum or the Roman Forum, may be one of the most ambitious archaeological projects of all time. By way of background, long before the first century AD, this area known as the Roman Forum was the premier political and cultural hot bed for the Roman Empire.

It is hard to imagine that the original Roman Forum was under construction for 300 years but by the 7th century BC, it was central to everything important that happened in Roman culture. It finally reached a completed state under the reign of Julius Caesar's son Octavian, in the early first Century AD.

Called the Forum Magnum (or Great Forum) by many, the Roman Forum had a dozen temples, plenty of arches and a multitude of other structures. It was built on marsh land (drained, of course!) and provided a central location for Romans to conduct business, administration and socialise with each other.

After the Roman Empire fell in the early fifth century, the Roman Forum fell into such decay that, by the Middle Ages, the grounds had become pastures for grazing cattle. It took the Renaissance to discover the area again and to set in motion one of the longest restoration projects in history, which began early in the eighteenth century and is still ongoing right now.

But the restoration has been effective because walking around the vast complex of diverse structures, the glory of this facility can be appreciated.

The archaeologists that have headed up the restoration have done a good job of repairing the paved streets and taking away the debris of hundreds of years of neglect so that the Forum can once again be enjoyed by everyone. If you plan a visit, be aware that there is no way to see the entire Roman Forum in one day. But even if you can only spend a few hours here, that visit will be enough to allow you a glimpse into how life was lived at the height of the glory of the Roman Empire.

A great example of the huge scale that the wealthy Roman Empire was capable of bringing to a project like this is the Temple of Venus and Roma. This temple is luxurious and massive because it was built specifically for Emperor Hadrian's use. It is on a fabulous plateau from which you can see the Roman Colosseum in the distance.

Just as impressive is the Temple of Concord. In 367 this temple that was dedicated to peace took its place in the western quadrant of the Forum. At the peak of the Forum's glory, this temple was full of expensive statues made of silver and gold. Even after restoration today, it is striking evidence of the skills and abilities of the Roman builders.

There are dozens of other structures to explore in the Forum, including the Temples of Pollux, Saturn, Vepasian and Castor. When combined with the huge diversity of buildings, you can get a real feel for what the Roman architects and emperors wanted from this ambitious project. But the Forum is about so much more than just a collection of temples.

The arches that were invented by the Romans and that lined the streets and passageways of the Forum were so innovative that their design was not improved upon for many centuries. Look for the Arch of Titus as well as the Arch of Septimus Severus to give you a feel for the amazing design of these arches.

The Roman Forum was also a place for political dialog and The Rostra was a perfect place for a Roman politician to state his case. If you stand under the Rostra, you can get a feel for what it was like to live in those times. Along with temples, many shrines such as the Lapis Niger (or Black Stone) and the Via Sacra demonstrate the creative imagination that Roman builders were capable of bringing to a project.

On a trip to Rome, you really have not experienced the true history of the area until you have given a day to touring the Roman Forum and taking in some of these sites. It will give you good perspective not only on the ability of early civilized man to accomplish great things but also on mankind's ability to lose it all if we are not careful.

About the Author

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