Gaius Julius Caesar
(100–44 BC)
Marcus Tullius Cicero
(106–43 BC)
Portrait of a politician,
around 50 BC
Augustus
(63 BC–14 AD)
Glyptothek
Königsplatz 3
D-80333 Munich
www.antike-am-koenigsplatz.mwn.de
„Marius“: bust, named after
Gaius Marius (158–86 BC)
„Sulla“: bust, named after
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
(138–78 BC)
Guided tours
Thursdays 18:00, for further information please
refer to the local newspapers or the website.
Guided tours also on request:
Phone 089 28 92 75 02
or: info@antike-am-koenigsplatz.mwn.de
Admission
6 €; reduced rate 4 €
Sundays 1 €
Free admission under 18
IN THE
CENTRE
OF
POWER
Opening times
Daily, except Mondays, 10:00 to 17:00
Thursdays 10:00 to 20:00
THE ROMAN FORUM
UP UNTIL THE TIMES OF
The Roman Forum was the political, commercial and
cultic centre of Rome. It was located in the valley
between the Capitoline Hill [1] with the Temple of
Jupiter Optimus Maximus and the Palatine Hill [34], on
which in the 1st century BC wealthy Romans built magnificent villas and which was later overbuilt with the
emperors' palaces.
AT THE TIME OF
CAESAR
AND
CICERO (AROUND 50 BC)
Forum for cultic, political and administrative purposes,
including the Regia [33], the Temple of Vesta [32], the
Curia Hostilia [14] and the Comitium [15]. We must
keep in mind that there was no fixed plan for the
architectural composition of the square. Instead it was
a site that was continually under development and
that encompassed all of the basic public, religious and
social functions and as such became the virtual identification point of the Roman community. This is particularly evident in the case of the pignora imperii, the
pledges of Roman rule, which were reposited in buildings located on the Forum – such as the palladium in
the Temple of Vesta or the holy shields of King Numa
in the Regia.
Ever since the 10th century BC, the marshy valley had
been used as a burial place by the people living on the
adjoining hills. The area had been drained in the 6th
century BC with the help of a drainage channel, the
Cloaca Maxima. So it was possible to utilise the place
as a Forum of the upcoming city of Rome, which had
developed as a result of the integration of individual
settlements.
In the Roman Republic (as of 509 BC) construction
activities on the Forum proceeded on an ongoing
basis. The magnificent hall constructions on the sides
of the square [13, 21, 29] and countless victory monu-
As far back as the times of the Roman Kingdom (8th to
6th century BC), central buildings were erected on the
THE ROMAN FORUM
ments [e.g. 12, 19, 20] expressed the desire for representation and the rivalry of the Roman aristocratic
families, whose members controlled the fate of the
state, the res publica, in high political office and in
the senate. Yet despite the restructuring, which at
times was quite extensive, the basic structure of the
old Forum centring around the Curia, the Regia and
the Comitium, remained unchanged up until around
50 BC.
If you consider the significance and origin of the
individual buildings and cult sites of the Roman
Forum in more detail, the historical, legendary, anecdotal and mythical narrations amalgamate to form
an overall picture, which for the Romans represented
reality and which they conceived as the real basis of
their res publica.
AUGUSTUS (AROUND 10 AD)
From about 130 BC onwards the existing structure of
the Roman res publica gradually began to disintegrate.
The affairs of state were no longer determined by the
members of the old senate aristocracy, alternating
between conflict and consensus. Instead, charismatic
politicians and commanders such as Marius, Sulla and
Pompeius emerged; these acted as individuals and took
over sole power in the state for long periods of time.
This had serious long-term consequences even for the
basic layout of the Forum, which was affected for the
first time.
The decline, or rather the dissolution of the republican institutions and the powerlessness of the senate
could not have been expressed more dramatically
and more clearly. Consistent with this is the fact
that the rostra, the speakers' tribune in the Comitium,
was dismantled by Caesar without further ado and
relocated to the west side of the square [14]. If you
remember that the Comitium, the Rostra and the
Curia were sacred areas, so-called templa, this course
of action seems even more drastic: now the entire
Forum was regarded as the Comitium, and from that
time on the ruler addressed the people directly from
the Rostra – without any constraints by traditional
conventions or the senate.
Radical changes are associated with Gaius Julius Caesar
(100–44 BC), who paved the way for the monarchy in
Rome. From 54 BC onwards, to the north of the Roman
Forum Caesar constructed the Forum Julium [21] with
a new curia building connected to its galleries. On the
side adjoining the Roman Forum, the Curia Julia [20]
intersected the old public meeting space, the
Comitium.
columned basilicas [22, 28]. On the east side of the
square he placed a temple for the now deified
Caesar [30], which obscured the Regia [33] and the
Temple of Vesta [32]: the well-being of the state
was no longer based on the old pledges of rule, the
pignora imperii, but on the well-being of the JulianClaudian imperial household.
Anyone setting foot in the Roman Forum, shortly
after this historical turning point, no longer found
himself in the pulsating heart of the Roman township but stood instead gazing in astonishment at
the Augustan dynasty's claim to power expressed in
stone.
Augustus, the first Roman Emperor (63 BC–14 AD),
systematically continued the work of his adoptive
father. Not only he reconstructed the big temples
completely in marble [7, 8, 26], but he also decorated
the long sides of the Forum with monumental marble
THE ROMAN FORUM
UP UNTIL THE TIMES OF
1
CAESAR
AND
CICERO (AROUND 50 BC)
Capitoline Hill: this was the site of Rome's main temple for
Jupiter Optimus Maximus
2
Tabularium: official records office of ancient Rome, built in 78 BC
3
Gemonian stairs: flight of steps leading to the Arx
4
Arx: northern stronghold of the Capitoline Hill; the Temple of
Juno Moneta and the Roman mint were located here
5
Clivus Capitolinus: continuation of the Via Sacra, the sacred road
that ran through the Forum to the Capitoline Hill
21 Basilica Sempronia: hall for commercial and administrative purposes, erected by Ti. Sempronius Gracchus, father of the Gracchi,
in 169 BC
6
Basilica Opimia: public building for commercial and administrative purposes, built by L. Opimius in around 120 BC
22 Tabernae Veteres: rows of shops housing butchers, booksellers,
money changers, etc.
7
Temple of Concordia: shrine of civil concord, founded in 367 BC,
temple built in 121 BC by L. Opimius, Roman consul and main
opponent of C. Gracchus
23 Lacus Curtius: shrine in honour of the Roman horseman Marcus
Curtius who is said to have thrown himself into a chasm to save
Rome
8
Temple of Saturn: shrine dedicated to the god Saturn (Greek:
Cronos), on 17.12.497 BC on the occasion of the annual
Saturnalia, which is comparable to today's carnival; the podium
housed the aerarium or treasury.
24 Argiletum: street leading to the Subura district of the city, where
the ordinary people lived
9
Carcer: prison and place of execution for prisoners of the state
(these included Jugurtha and Vercingetorix), allegedly built
under the Roman kings Ancus Marcius und Servius Tullius in the
7th/6th centuries BC
10 Vicus Lautumiarum: access road to the Forum from the north
25 Vicus Tuscus: street leading to the cattle market (Forum Boarium)
26 Temple of Castor and Pollux: dedicated by Aulus Postumius in
484 BC to Castor and Pollux for their help at the Battle of Lake
Regillus (496 BC); rebuilt in 117 BC
27 Venus Cloacina: old spring shrine; location of the ritual cleansing
of Romulus and the Sabine king Titus Tatius after the battle in
the Forum valley after the rape of the Sabine women
28 Tabernae Novae: row of shops
12 Pillar of Maenius: monument commemorating the naval victory
of C. Maenius at Antium in 338 BC over a Latin fleet
29 Basilica Aemilia: hall for commercial and administrative purposes, erected by M. Fulvius Nobilior in 179 BC, newly erected in
54 BC by M. Aemilius Paullus
13 Basilica Porcia: the oldest hall on the Forum, built in 184 BC by
Cato the Elder
30 Forum Piscarium: fish market
15 Comitium: ever since the times of the Roman Kingdom (7th/6th
centuries BC) public meeting place and venue of the court (tribunal); sacred space
16 Marsyas and Ficus Ruminalis: the statue of the satyr Marsyas,
symbolising the freedom of the citizenry, and the fig tree, under
which Romulus and Remus were suckled by the she-wolf
17 Graecostasis: raised platform on which foreign envoys participated in sessions of the senate and public meetings
18 Vulcanal: altar for Vulcan, the god of fire, originating from the
times of the Roman Kingdom (8th–6th centuries BC)
AT THE TIME OF
20 Rostral column of C. Duilius: column adorned with ram bows to
commemorate the victory at Mylae over the Carthaginians in
260 BC
11 Vicus Jugarius: street leading to the vegetable market (Forum
Holitorium)
14 Curia Hostilia: seat of the senate, allegedly built by King Tullus
Hostilius (7th century BC); renovated by Sulla in 80 BC; destroyed
by fire in 52 BC at the funeral of Clodius; sacred space (templum)
THE ROMAN FORUM
19 Rostra: tribune with curved front from which speakers addressed
assemblies of the people; decorated with the rams (rostra) from
the enemy ships at the battle of Antium in 338 BC; sacred space
31 Spring of Juturna: shrine dedicated to the water nymph Juturna;
the spring supplied water for public sacrifices
32 Shrine of Vesta: circular temple for the goddess of the hearth,
which was always lit here; erected in the times of the Roman
Kingdom (8th–6th BC), allegedly by Numa Pompilius, the second
king of Rome; restored several times following fire
33 Regia: "Royal Palace", 7th century BC, allegedly erected by King
Numa Pompilius, restored several times; office of the Roman
high priests (Rex Sacrorum and Pontifex Maximus)
34 Foot of Palatine Hill
35 Arch of Fabius: triumphal arch for Q. Fabius Maximus, 121 BC;
restored in 56 BC
AUGUSTUS (AROUND 10 AD)
1
Capitoline Hill: this was the site of Rome's main temple for
Jupiter Optimus Maximus
2
Tabularium: official records office of Rome
3
Gemonian stairs: the bodies of those who had committed high
treason had been put on display here ever since the times of
the early Roman Empire
4
Arx: northern stronghold of the Capitoline Hill; the Temple of
Juno Moneta and the Roman mint were located here
5
Clivus Capitolinus: continuation of the Via Sacra, the sacred road
that ran through the Forum to the Capitoline Hill
6
Rostral columns of Augustus: monuments commemorating the
triumph of Augustus in the naval battles at Naulochoi against
Sextus Pompeius in 36 BC and at Actium against Marcus
Antonius and Cleopatra in 31 BC; decorated with the rams
(rostra) from the enemy ships.
7
8
9
Temple of Saturn: newly erected between 39 and 27 BC by
L. Munatius Plancus, who was a supporter of Augustus since
32 BC
Temple of Concordia: rebuilding started in 7 BC by Tiberius
(42 BC–37 AD), who was later to become Emperor, stepson of
Augustus; financed by the booty from campaigns in Germania;
inaugurated on January 16, 10 AD
Carcer: prison for prisoners of the state
10 Clivus Argentarius: access road to the Forum from the north;
"Street of the money changers"
11 Vicus Jugarius: street leading to the vegetable market (Forum
Holitorium)
12 Rostral column of C. Duilius: column adorned with ram bows
to commemorate the victory at Mylae over the Carthaginians in
260 BC; restored and converted (?) by Augustus
13 Milliarium Aureum: the starting point of all Roman roads with
a list of the distances to the major cities in the Empire, erected
by Augustus in 20 BC
14 Rostra: new speakers' tribune on the west side of the square,
built by Caesar and Augustus; inaugurated in 29 BC
15 Umbilicus Urbis: the "navel" of the city of Rome and centre of
the world; supposedly erected by Augustus
16 Pillar of Maenius: commemorates the naval victory of C. Maenius
at Antium in 338 BC
17 Marsyas, vine, olive and fig tree: the statue of Marsyas was probably moved from the Comitium to this site in Augustan times
18 Lapis Niger: site of the Vulcanal (altar for Vulcan), buried during the restructuring of the square by Caesar and Augustus
and covered with black paving
19 Temple of Janus: sanctuary from the monarchical period
(8th–6th century BC) for the two-faced god of beginnings and
transitions; the temple doors were closed in times of peace;
presumably restored by Augustus
20 Curia Julia: seat of the senate, rebuilt by Caesar and presumably completed by Augustus; inaugurated in 29 BC
21 Forum Julium: forum north of the Roman Forum; started in
54 BC by Caesar, inaugurated in 46 BC
22 Basilica Julia: building on the site of the Basilica Sempronia;
built by Caesar, rebuilt by Augustus, inaugurated in 12 AD
23 Lacus Curtius: shrine in honour of the Roman horseman Marcus
Curtius who is said to have thrown himself into a chasm to
save Rome
24 Argiletum: street leading to the Subura district of the city,
where the ordinary people lived
25 Vicus Tuscus: street leading to the cattle market (Forum
Boarium)
26 Temple of Castor and Pollux: rebuilt after the fire in the Forum
in 14 BC by Tiberius, stepson of Augustus, who was later to
become Emperor; inaugurated on January 27, 6 AD
27 Venus Cloacina: ancient spring shrine
28 Basilica Aemilia: new Augustan building of the hall on the
north side of the Forum after the fire in 14 BC
29 Arch of Augustus: triumphal arch for the Emperor to commemorate the return of the standards lost to the Parthians in the
Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC, erected in 20 BC
30 Temple of Divus Julius: sanctuary for the deified Caesar on
the site of his cremation; built by Augustus; inaugurated on
August 18, 29 BC
31 Spring of Juturna: spring shrine
32 Shrine of Vesta: circular temple for the goddess of the hearth;
restored by Augustus after the fire in 14 BC
33 Regia: rebuilding of the official residence of the Pontifex
Maximus, which had been destroyed by fire, by Cn. Domitius
Calvinus, a supporter of Caesar and of Augustus, around 35 BC
34 Foot of Palatine Hill
35 Arch of Fabius: triumphal arch for Q. Fabius Maximus, 121 BC