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Roman forum

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:''This page refers to the main forum in the centre of Rome. See Imperial forums, Roman Forum#Other forums in Rome etc for other forums in Rome, and city pages for forums in other Roman provincial cities. See also Forum (Roman) for general article on the forum building type.'' Image:Forum_Romanum_panorama.jpg Palatine Hill.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|380px|Roman Forum with [[Palatine Hill in the background. The arch at the front left is the Arch of Septimius Severus, while on the right the three-columned Temple of Vespasian and Titus stands in front of the Temple of Saturn..html" title="Meaning of 380px|Roman Forum with [[Palatine Hill">thumb|380px|Roman Forum with [[Palatine Hill in the background. The arch at the front left is the Arch of Septimius Severus, while on the right the three-columned Temple of Vespasian and Titus stands in front of the Temple of Saturn.">380px|Roman Forum with [[Palatine Hill">thumb|380px|Roman Forum with [[Palatine Hill in the background. The arch at the front left is the Arch of Septimius Severus, while on the right the three-columned Temple of Vespasian and Titus stands in front of the Temple of Saturn. The '''Roman Forum''' ('''Forum Romanum''', although the Romans referred to it more often as the '''Forum Magnum''' or just the '''Forum''') was the central area around which ancient Rome developed, in which commerce, business, prostitution, cult and the administration of justice took place. Here the communal hearth was located. Sequences of remains of paving show that sediment eroded from the surrounding hills was already raising the level of the forum in early Republican times. Originally it had been marshy ground, which was drained by the Tarquinius Priscus Tarquins with the ''Cloaca Maxima''. Its final travertine paving, still to be seen, dates from the reign of Caesar Augustus Augustus.

Structures within the Forum
It is now famous for the remains, which eloquently show the use of urban spaces during the Roman Age. The Roman Forum includes the following major monuments, buildings and other ancient ruins: Image:Map of downtown Rome during the Roman Empire large.jpg thumb|right|380px|Map of central Rome during the Roman Empire, with '''Forum Holitorium''' and '''Forum Boarium''' shown at bottom middle * Temple of Castor and Pollux * Temple of Romulus * Temple of Saturn * Temple of Vesta * Temple of Venus and Roma * Basilica Aemilia * Basilica Julia * Arch of Septimius Severus * Arch of Titus * Rostra, from where politicians made their speeches to the Roman citizens. * Curia Hostilia, the site of the Roman Senate. * Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine * Tabularium * Temple of Antoninus and Faustina * Umbilicus Urbi A processional way, the ''Via Sacra'', crosses it linking it with the Colosseum. By the end of the Empire, it lost its everyday use remaining as a sacred place. The Forum is also the site of Julius Caesar's tomb, at which visitors continue to leave wreaths and flowers to this day. Image:RomaForoRomanoColonnaFoca.JPG Column of Phocas thumb|left|The [[Column of Phocas|column erected in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas, 608: the last addition to the Roman Forum.html" title="Meaning of column erected in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas.html" title="Meaning of thumb|left|The [[Column of Phocas|column erected in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas">thumb|left|The [[Column of Phocas|column erected in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas, 608: the last addition to the Roman Forum">column erected in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas.html" title="Meaning of thumb|left|The [[Column of Phocas|column erected in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas">thumb|left|The [[Column of Phocas|column erected in honour of the Byzantine emperor Phocas, 608: the last addition to the Roman Forum The last monument built inside the Forum is the Column of Phocas.

Excavation and preservation
Image:01vaccin.jpg Lorrain.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|''Campo Vaccino'', by [[Lorrain..html" title="Meaning of ''Campo Vaccino'', by [[Lorrain">thumb|''Campo Vaccino'', by [[Lorrain.">''Campo Vaccino'', by [[Lorrain">thumb|''Campo Vaccino'', by [[Lorrain. Image:SwaneveltCampoVaccinoForumFitz.jpg Swanevelt.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|''Campo Vaccino'' by [[Swanevelt..html" title="Meaning of ''Campo Vaccino'' by [[Swanevelt">thumb|''Campo Vaccino'' by [[Swanevelt.">''Campo Vaccino'' by [[Swanevelt">thumb|''Campo Vaccino'' by [[Swanevelt. An anonymous 8th century traveller from Einsiedeln (now in Germany) reported that the Forum was already falling apart during in his time. During the Middle Ages, though the memory of the ''Forum Romanum'' persisted, its monuments were for the most part buried under debris, and its location was designated the ''"Campo Vaccino"'' or "cattle field," located between the Capitoline Hill and the Roman Colosseum Colosseum. The return of Pope Urban V from Avignon papacy Avignon in 1367 led to an increased interest in ancient monuments, partly for their moral lesson and partly as a quarry for new buildings being undertaken in Rome after a long lapse. Artists from the late 15th century drew the ruins in the Forum, antiquaries copied inscriptions from the 16th century, and a tentative excavation was begun in the late 18th century. A cardinal took measures to drain it again and built the ''Alessandrine'' neighborhood over it. But the excavation by Carlo Fea, who began clearing the debris from the Arch of Septimius Severus in 1803, and archaeologists under the History of Italy during foreign domination and the unification Napoleonic regime marked the beginning of clearing the Forum, which was only fully excavated in the early 20th century. In its current state, remains from several centuries are shown together, due to the Roman practice of building over earlier ruins.

Other forums in Rome
Other fora existed in other areas of the city; remains of most of them, sometimes substantial, are extant. * The most important of these are a number of large Imperial forums imperial fora forming a complex with the Forum Romanum: the ''Forum of Caesar Forum Iulium'', ''Forum of Augustus Forum Augustum'', the ''Forum of Nerva Forum Transitorium'' (also: ''Forum Nervae''), and Trajan's Forum. The planners of the Mussolini era removed most of the Medieval and Baroque strata and built the ''Via dei Fori Imperiali'' road between the Imperial Fora and the Forum. * The ''Forum Boarium'' was dedicated to the commerce of cattle and was between the Palatine Hill and the river Tiber. * The ''Forum Holitorium'' was dedicated to the commerce of herbs and vegetables, between the Capitoline Hill and the Servian walls. * The ''Forum Piscarium'' was dedicated to the commerce of fish, between the Capitoline hill and the Tiber, in the area of the current Roman Ghetto. *The ''Forum Suarium'' was dedicated to the commerce of pork, near the barracks of the cohortes urbanae in the northern part of the campus Martius. * The ''Forum Vinarium'' was dedicated to the commerce of wine, in the area now of the "quartiere" Testaccio, between Aventine Hill and the Tiber. * Other markets were known, but not correctly identifiable because of either lack of clear information or plurality of sites. Among these, the ''Forum cuppedinis'', for generic commerce of many kinds of goods.

External links
{{commons|Roman Forum}}
- "The Digital Forum", 3D reconstructions of the Roman Forum in ca. 400
- Roman Forum, Virtual Panorama and Photo gallery
- "Forum Romanum", a ThinkQuest site
- Christian HÃ¼lsen: The Roman Forum (at LacusCurtius; HÃ¼lsen was one of the principal excavators of the Forum)
- Forum Romanum (at LacusCurtius; article in Platner's ''Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome'')
- "Forum Romanum" Project at VRoma
- Plan of Forum Romanum * {{cite web | title=Aerial view of Roman Forum | work=Google Maps | url=http://maps.google.com/maps?q=rome,+italy&ll=41.892374,12.485533&spn=0.005023,0.008664&t=h&hl=en | accessdate=October 14 | accessyear=2005}}
- QTVR fullscreen of Roman Forum at tolomeus.net Category:Archaeological sites in Italy Category:Roman sites of the Lazio Category:Ancient Roman architecture Category:Italian architecture Category:Fora (forums) of Rome Category:Ruins de:Forum Romanum es:Foro Romano fr:Forum Romanum hr:Rimski forum it:Foro Romano hu:Forum Romanum nl:Forum Romanum ja:ãƒ•ã‚©ãƒ«ãƒ ãƒ»ãƒãƒžãƒŒãƒ no:Forum Romanum pl:Forum Romanum pt:FÃ³rum romano sr:Ð Ð¸Ð¼Ñ?ÐºÐ¸ Ñ„Ð¾Ñ€ÑƒÐ¼ fi:Forum Romanum sv:Forum Romanum see Roman Forum

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