Imperial fora

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Imperial fora
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Map of the imperial Fora
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Imperial fora
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Imperial fora
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Coordinates 41°53′40″N12°29′8″E / 41.89444°N 12.48556°E / 41.89444; 12.48556

The Imperial Fora (Fori Imperiali in Italian) are a series of monumental fora (public squares), constructed in Rome over a period of one and a half centuries, between 46 BC and 113 AD. The fora were the center of the Roman Republic and of the Roman Empire.

Contents

The Imperial Fora, while not part of the Roman Forum, are located relatively close to each other. Julius Caesar was the first to build in this section of Rome and rearranged both the Forum and the Comitium, another forum type space designated for politics, to do so. These fora were the centres of politics, religion and economy in the ancient Roman Empire.

During the early 20th century, Mussolini restored the Imperial Fora as part of his campaign to evoke and emulate the past glories of Ancient Rome, but he also built the Via dei Fori Imperiali across the middle of the site. The modern street and its heavy traffic has proved a source of damage to the buildings because of vibration and pollution. There have been a number of proposals to remove the road, but none have taken effect.

Forum of Caesar

Forum of Caesar Foro di Cesare a Roma.jpg
Forum of Caesar

Julius Caesar decided to construct a large forum bearing his name. This forum was inaugurated in 46 BC, although it was probably incomplete at this time and was finished later by Augustus.

The Forum of Caesar was constructed as an extension to the Roman Forum. The Forum was used as a replacement venue to the Roman Forum for public affairs as well as government; it was also designed as a celebration of Caesar's power. Caesar had placed, on the front of his forum, a temple devoted to Venus Genetrix, since Caesar's family (gens Julia) claimed to descend by Venus through Aeneas. A statue of Caesar himself riding Bucephalus, the celebrated horse of Alexander the Great, was placed in front of the temple, to symbolise absolute power.[ citation needed ] This centralised vision corresponded to the ideological function, following the propaganda of the Hellenistic sanctuaries; also the choice of the Forum site carried a meaning: the future dictator didn't want to be far from the central power, represented in the Curia, seat of the Senate. In fact, not long before Caesar's death, the Senate agreed to reconstruct the Curia on the site.

Forum of Augustus

Forum of Augustus with the temple of Mars Ultor Tempio di Marte Ultore (Roma) - Laterale.jpg
Forum of Augustus with the temple of Mars Ultor

In the battle of Philippi in 42 BC, in which Augustus and Mark Antony worked together and avenged Caesar's death, defeating the forces of Brutus and Cassius, Augustus vowed to build the Temple of Mars Ultor ("Mars the Avenger"). The incomplete forum was inaugurated, after 40 years of construction, in 2 BC, adding the second monumental square, the Forum of Augustus.

This new complex lies at right angles to the Forum of Caesar. The temple consists of a very tall wall, and this still distinguishes itself from the popular neighbourhood of Suburra. This high wall served as a firebreak, protecting the Forum area from the frequent conflagrations from which Rome suffered. The rectangular square has long deep porticos with a surface that widens into large semicircular exedras.

Recently one more slightly smaller exedra was found south on the wall bordering the Forum of Trajan, meaning that for the sake of symmetry there must have been other exedra demolished to make room for the forum of Nerva, rising the number to four and not two exedras. This completely changed the layout for the south part of the Forum of Augustus, meaning that it is much more similar to the Forum of Trajan and a new theory for this southern part of the forum suggests that in fact there was a basilica between the two new exedras (like in the Forum of Trajan). This supports the numerous ancient authors that tell us the forum was used as a court of law.

The entire decoration of the Forum was tightly connected to the ideology of Augustus. According to myth, Rome herself was born from the god Mars through Romulus. This forum was occupied by . . .

Temple of Peace

The Temple of Peace Forum Paix - Rome (IT62) - 2021-08-25 - 1.jpg
The Temple of Peace

In 75 AD, the Temple of Peace, also known as the Forum of Vespasian, was built under Emperor Vespasian. Separated from the Forum of Augustus and the Forum of Caesar by the Argiletum, which connected the Roman Forum to the Subura, the temple faced the Velian Hill (in the direction of the Colosseum). The fact that this structure is not mentioned as having a civil function has prevented it from being classified as a true Forum. Therefore, the structure was simply identified as the Temple of Peace (Templum Pacis) until the late Empire.

The shape of the square was also different: the temple was constructed as a large apsidal hall that opened up like an exedra at the bottom of the portico. A row of columns distinguished the portico from the temple. The central area was not paved like other fora and served as a garden, with pools and pedestals for statues, so that it was similar to an open-air museum.

The monument was built to celebrate the conquest of Jerusalem. One of the chambers opened at the end of the porticos housed the Forma Urbis Romae , a marble map of ancient Rome, made in the Severan period (3rd century) by drawing on the marble slab that covered the wall. The wall is now part of the façade of the church of Santi Cosma e Damiano, where the holes used to mount the slabs of the map can still be seen. The Temple of Peace is also said to have housed the Menorah from Herod's Temple. [1]

Forum of Nerva, or the Transitional Forum

The so-called "Colonnacce": remains of the peristyle which defined the Forum of Nerva Remains of the peristyle which defined the Forum of Nerva, two Corinthian columns with sculpted decoration, part of the Temple of Minerva, Rome (7998951872).jpg
The so-called "Colonnacce": remains of the peristyle which defined the Forum of Nerva

Domitian decided to unify the previous complex and the free remaining irregular area, between the Temple of Peace and the Fora of Caesar and Augustus, and build another monumental forum which connected all of the other fora.

The limited space, partially occupied by one of the exedrae of the Forum of Augustus and by the via dell'Argileto, obliged Domitian to build the lateral porticos as simply decorations of the bounding walls of the forum. The temple, dedicated to Minerva as protector of the emperor, was built leaning on the exedra of the Forum of Augustus, so that the remaining space became a large monumental entrance (Porticus Absidatus) for all the fora.

Because of the death of Domitian, the forum was inaugurated by his successor, Nerva, who gave his own name to it. The Forum of Nerva is also known as Transitional Forum, because it worked as an access way, just like via dell'Argileto had done.

Forum of Trajan

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Forum of Trajan

It is probable that Domitian's projects were more ambitious than the building of the small Forum of Nerva and probably under his reign they started to remove the small saddle that united the Capitoline Hill to the Quirinal Hill, thus blocking the Fora towards Campus Martius, near to modern Piazza Venezia.

The project was resumed by Trajan with the construction of Trajan's Forum between 112 and 113. The occasion was the conquest of Dacia, whose spoils paid for this celebration of the military conquests of Rome.

The preparation of the Forum required a lot of work. It was necessary to remove the hilly saddle, and to support the cut of Quirinal Hill through the building of Trajan's market. The Forum square was closed by the Basilica Ulpia, with Trajan's Column at its back. In front of the basilica, a monumental façade was the background of a large, equestrian sculpture of the Emperor. The last Forum was also the biggest and greatest. [2]

Museum

In 2007, a museum dedicated to the Imperial Fora was opened in the Trajan's Market, which once constituted the northern edge of the Forum of Trajan. The new museum, named "Museo dei Fori Imperiali" (English: Museum of Imperial Fora) by the means of sculptures, videos, architectural pieces, and scale models depicts the history of the four fora and the Temple of Peace. [3]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flavian dynasty</span> Roman imperial dynasty (r. AD 69–96)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pax (goddess)</span> Roman goddess of peace

Pax, more commonly known in English as Peace, was the Roman goddess of peace derived and adopted from the ancient Greek equivalent Eirene. Pax was seen as the daughter of the Roman king god Jupiter and the goddess Justice. Worship of Peace was organized and made popular during the rule of the emperor Augustus who used her imagery to help stabilise the empire after the years of turmoil and civil war of the late republic. Augustus commissioned an altar of peace in her honour on the Campus Martius called Ara Pacis, and the emperor Vespasian built a temple for her on called the Templum Pacis. Pax had a festival held for her on January 30. In art she is commonly depicted holding out olive branches as a peace offering, as well as a caduceus, cornucopia, corn and a sceptre. Pax is also often associated with spring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suburra</span> Neighborhood of Ancient Rome

The Suburra, or Subura was a vast and populous neighborhood of Ancient Rome, located below the Murus Terreus on the Carinae and stretching on the slopes of the Quirinal and Viminal hills up to the offshoots of the Esquiline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trajan's Forum</span> Ancient Roman imperial forum, a landmark of Rome, Italy

Trajan's Forum was the last of the Imperial fora to be constructed in ancient Rome. The architect Apollodorus of Damascus oversaw its construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trajan's Market</span> Ancient Roman city architecture, a landmark of Rome, Italy

Trajan's Market is a large complex of ruins in the city of Rome, Italy, located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, at the opposite end to the Colosseum. The surviving buildings and structures, built as an integral part of Trajan's Forum and nestled against the excavated flank of the Quirinal Hill, present a living model of life in the Roman capital and a glimpse at the restoration in the city, which reveals new treasures and insights about ancient Roman architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forum of Caesar</span> Ancient Roman imperial forum, a landmark of Rome, Italy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of Peace, Rome</span> Temple dedicated to the goddess Pax in ancient Rome

The Temple of Peace, also known as the Forum of Vespasian, was built in Rome in 71 AD under Emperor Vespasian in honour to Pax, the Roman goddess of peace. Positioned southeast of the Roman Forum, between the Via Sacra and the Carinae, the temple stood on the southeast side of the Argiletum, offering a view of the Velian Hill and overlooking the renowned Colosseum. It housed artifacts such as the Table of Shewbread and the seven-branched menorah from the Jerusalem Temple, which were taken as spoils during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Via dei Fori Imperiali</span> Thoroughfare in Rome, Italy

The Via dei Fori Imperiali is a road in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, that is in a straight line from the Piazza Venezia to the Colosseum. Its course takes it over parts of the Forum of Trajan, Forum of Augustus and Forum of Nerva, parts of which can be seen on both sides of the road. Since the 1990s, there has been a great deal of archaeological excavation on both sides of the road, as significant Imperial Roman relics remain to be found underneath it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torre dei Conti</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forum of Nerva</span> Ancient Roman imperial forum, a landmark of Rome, Italy

Forum of Nerva is an ancient structure in Rome, Italy, chronologically the next to the last of the Imperial fora built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nerva</span> Roman emperor from AD 96 to 98

Nerva was a Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dynasty. Under Nero, he was a member of the imperial entourage and played a vital part in exposing the Pisonian conspiracy of 65. Later, as a loyalist to the Flavians, he attained consulships in 71 and 90 during the reigns of Vespasian and Domitian, respectively. On 18 September 96, Domitian was assassinated in a palace conspiracy involving members of the Praetorian Guard and several of his freedmen. On the same day, Nerva was declared emperor by the Roman Senate. As the new ruler of the Roman Empire, he vowed to restore liberties which had been curtailed during the autocratic government of Domitian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica Argentaria</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Rome</span> Overview of and topical guide to Rome

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Rome:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regio IV Templum Pacis</span> Historical region of Rome

The Regio IV Templum Pacis is the fourth regio of imperial Rome, under Augustus's administrative reform. Regio IV took its name from the Temple of Peace built in the region by the emperor Vespasian. It includes the valley between the Esquiline and the Viminal hills, the popular area of the Suburra, and the Velian Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regio VIII Forum Romanum</span> Historical region of Rome

The Regio VIII Forum Romanum Magnum is the eighth regio of imperial Rome, under Augustus's administrative reform. Regio VIII took its name from the Roman Forum, the political centre of Ancient Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Via Alessandrina</span> Street in Rome, Italy

Via Alessandrina is an urban street in Rome (Italy), at the southern end of the Rione Monti, passing alongside the ruins of the Imperial Fora.

References

  1. "News and Announcements | College of Agriculture and Life Sciences". Cals.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
  2. Tucci, Pier Luigi, ‘Nuove osservazioni sull’architettura del Templum Pacis’, in F. Coarelli (ed.), Divus Vespasianus. Il Bimillenario dei Flavi (Milan 2009), catalogue of the exhibition on the Flavian dynasty (Rome, March 2009 - January 2010) 158-167
  3. Riccardo Bianchini. "Rome – The Museum of Imperial Fora". Inexhibit . Retrieved November 26, 2015.

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Preceded by
Roman Forum
Landmarks of Rome
Imperial fora
Succeeded by
Forum of Augustus