HS 236, Field Study-Imperial Fora
The Imperial Fora represent an exceptional site which consists of monumental squares built in
approximately 150 years in the centre of Rome. Administrative, judicial and business activities were held
here as much as celebrations of every kind.
The Fora were built as it follows: the Forum of Caesar (46 B.C.), the Forum of Augustus (2 B.C.), the
Templum of Peace (75 A.D.), the Forum Transitorium or Forum of Nerva (98 A.D.) and the Forum of
Trajan (112 and 113 A.D.); these monumental structures generally consisted of closed squares with side
porticoes and a temple on the background.
In the Late Antiquity (4th-5th century A.D.) the Imperial Fora were used as public space of a less
importance until the Carolingian age (9th-10th century A.D.) when groups of houses were built over the
monumental squares. Then a progressive deterioration of the whole area took place during the 11th
century when the soil level grew due to swamping and to discharged earth. At the end of the ‘500 the
cardinal Michele Bonelli was responsible for a major drainage intervention in the area and a new
urbanization which led to the birth of the new quarter called “Alessandrino”.
Under the Napoleonic governorship the first proper archaeological excavations were undertaken in the
Basilica Ulpia in the Forum of Trajan (1812-1814). During Mussolini regime, between 1929 and 1932,
the “Via dell’Impero” was opened (current “via dei Fori Imperiali”), and medieval and Renaissance
buildings, built over Roman structures, were demolished. Afterwards, starting from 1994, almost 15.000
square metres of the original areas of the Fora have been brought to light.
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Fig. 1: General plan of the Imperial Fora.
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Forum of Caesar:
It was dedicated by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C to enlarge the near Republican Forum (Roman Forum),
which was inadequate to the administrative and representative needs of a city which had become the
capital of a vast Empire. The plan of the forum consists of a rectangular square with the Temple of Venus
Genetrix, divine ancestor of his family (the gens Iulia), on the background. The monumental entrance to
the forum was through a colonnade which was locatd at the opposite side of the temple.
Augustus added the tabernae to the side porticoes and later on Trajan built a semicircular forica (public
toilet) which transformed a little the tabernae structure. Trajan also completed the excavation of the hill
saddle, which connected the Capitolium to the Quirinal, already begun by Domitian and even the temple
of Venus Genetrix was rebuilt and re-inaugurated together with the Trajanic Column in 113 A.D. Trajan
was also responsible for the construction of the “ Basilica Argentaria” behind the temple which was
probably used by students and teachers.
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The area began to be neglected in the 6th century as debris and discharged materials were accumulating on
the ancient levels. During the 9th century the floor slabs were removed to start cultivations in the area of
the square and poor houses were built here with reused materials and clay (domus terrinae). Later on
swamping has to be accounted for the abandonment of the houses and the use of the area only for
cultivations. Starting from the 12th century there was the progressive covering of the ancient levels caused
by the accumulation of earth and systematic spoliation of the structures which contributed to delete the
aspect and the memory of the Forum, which had already vanished in the new urbanization during the
‘500. The position of the Forum was then exactly identified only during the excavations under Mussolini
in 1930-34.
Forum of Augustus:
In 42 B.C., just before the battle of Filippi, Octavianus, made a vow to Mars and promised he would build
a temple in case of victory over Brutus and Cassius, Caesar’s murderers. In 27 B.C. he started the
construction of a large Forum, close to the Forum of Caesar. The temple, dedicated to Mars Ultor (the
avenger), was inaugurated in 2 A.D. together with the square.
The two archways at the temple’s sides gave access to the square from the Subura. The square was paved
with white marble slabs and housed, in the middle, the bronze sculptural group representing the quadriga
of Augustus.
In the side porticoes, made of a double order of columns, we have to imagine a series of statues housed
in the niches which are on the internal bottom wall. The statues probably represented important figures of
Rome’s historu to which Augustus wanted to be related to.
Hall of the Colossus: in this dedicated area Augustus placed an approximately 12 metres tall statue on the
background of a light blue curtaining which was painted over the white marble slabs of the wall covering.
Probably, the statue depicted the Genius (protective divinity) of the emperor Augustus. The sculpture was
made by using the acrolithic technique: a wooden structure supported carved elements in white marble of
which only fragments of the two hands and part of a forearm remain.
In the exedrae there were two important sculptures: on the north side, the statuary group with Aeneas
escaping from Troy carrying his father Anchises on his shoulders and his son Ascanius, or Iulus, beside
him; on the south side there was a statue of Romulus carrying, on his shoulders, the spoils to be dedicated
to Jupiter (spolia opima). As he had done already in the allegorical representations in the Ara Pacis
(dedicated in 9 B.C.), Augustus wanted to point out a connection between the myth about the origins of
the city and Augustus’ family.
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Templum of Peace:
The Templum of Peace was built by Vespasian, between 71 and 75 A.D., after the conquest of Jerusalem.
It is somehow different from the othr Fora because rather than a paved square it was a large garden.
Unlike the other Fora, the temple was incorporated in the portico from which it was slightly projecting.
The temple had six Corinthian columns on the front and it was preceded by a big altar. At the sides of the
temple there were halls destined to various uses; scholars have hypothesized that one of them did
certainly serve as library whereas the other one was used to display the Forma Urbis, a large marble plan
of the city of Rome.
The square had six long platforms, three on each side and statues’ bases were all along the porticoes and
in the vacant area of the square. According to Latin sources we can detect a fondness for famous Greek
sculptors, especially from Athens. One important discovery made in the Templum of Peace was the head
of the philosopher Crysippus, which belonged to a small bronze statue, and it probably came from the
library, where it served as mark in front of the rolls of his works.
Forum of Nerva (Forum Domitiani):
The Forum of Nerva was inaugurated it in 97 A.D. by emperor Nerva, although its construction was
almost completed by the emperor Domitian, murdered in a conspiracy.
Due to the fact that this Forum served as connection between the different Fora and also because it was
built where an ancient road, the Argiletum, was, the Forum of Nerva was also called Transitorium. At the
time of the construction there was no much space left, therefore the Forum complex occupied the narrow
space between the Forum of Augustus and the Forum of Caesar and the Templum of Peace. For this
reason the square was not enclosed by a real portico along the sides but by a wall with a “fake” colonnade
decorated with slightly projecting columns, with a figured frieze, in order to imitate a portico.
The square could be accessed both by the Roman Forum, with three entrances, and by the opposite side,
the Subura, through the Porticus Absidata, a horseshoe shaped portico behind the temple which was
dedicated to Domitian’s favourite divinity, Minerva. The temple was completely dismantled in 1609 by
the pope Paul V, who used the marbles to build the fountain of Acqua Paola on the Gianicolo hill.
Unlike the other Fora the one of Nerva remained quite well preserved even after the fall of the Roman
empire probably because its position protected it from complete destruction.
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Forum of Trajan:
Fig. 2: Forum of Trajan, general plan.
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The Forum of Trajan was built starting from 106 A.D. and it was inaugurated in 112 A.D. (the column
was completed the year after) with the booty obtained from the conquest of Dacia (current Rumania) and
it is the last and the biggest Imperial Forum. Apollodorus from Damascus, the architect and engineer who
accompanied the emperor during the military campaigns in Dacia and the author of many monumental
structures built during the reign of Trajan was credited with the whole project which was so ambitious
that the slopes of the Quirinal hill had to be excavated.
The most recent archaeological excavations, carried out from 1998 to 2006, we know now that the access
to the Forum was at the north-west end and it consisted of a monumental propyleum which gave access to
the courtyard with the Column of Trajan. At the sides of the propyleum there are two rectangular
buildings interpreted as libraries. After the libraries there is a rectangular structure with two apses at both
short sides identified with the Basilica Ulpia (the name derives from the emperor’s gens, Marcus Ulpius
Trajan). As far as the activities held in the Forum are concerned we can imagine the Basilica Ulpia used
for judicial activities whereas the square of the Forum was probably used for ceremonies. But also classes
and other cultural activies were held in any other space and within the porticoes.
The Forum of Trajan is a perfect example of glorification of the emperor. As much as Augustus had done
previously in his own Forum so Trajan wanted to celebrate the glory of Rome under his reign by building
the most magnificent Forum ever and, not by chance, close the Augustus’ one.
Archaeological excavations were undertaken at the beginning of the ‘800 during the Napoleonic
occupation, whereas during the 1930s, due to the demolitions related to the opening of the “via
dell’Impero” (today’s “via dei Fori Imperiali”), the eastern portico and exedra were brought to light. The
most recent excavations led to the discovery of a great part of the square where the archaeologists found
many remains of the buildings which were built in medieval times in the Forum.
Markets of Trajan:
After the excavation undertaken on the slopes of the Quirinal Hill in order to build the Forum of Trajan it
was necessary to build a structure to support the excavations. This structure is known as Markets of
Trajan and it was built during the first decade of the 2nd century A.D. The monument consists of the
Great Hemicycle, built on three levels with two Halls at the two ends, and the Small Hemicycle, still on
three levels, which develops in a semicircular direction beyond the north Hall.
We can probably think at the Markets of Trajan as a polyfunctional complex used for many different
purposes especially for offices and/or archives of the Imperial bureaucracy in close connection with the
Forum of Trajan.
Unlike other Fora structure the Markets of Trajan, due to their functionality, continued to be used later on
and during Middle Ages noble Roman families occupied the building subdividing the property and
transforming it into the castellum Miliciae, with the “Torre delle Milizie” the convent of S. Catherine
from Siena occupied the markets during the second half of the ‘500.
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