Imperial Roman Forums in Ancient Rome

Roman Forum, an urban space that can be seen in every Roman city. Roman forums were used as administrative and commercial centers as well as social spaces.

All of the forums, which started in 46 BC and continued until 113 AD, were built in the area considered the center of the city and became a symbol of power. If you are wondering how Rome’s forums were like in ancient times, you can check the image below.

Caesar Forum

Forum of Caesar, built by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was an expansion of the Roman Forum. Caesar’s Forum can be seen in the Roman Forum at the spot where the Temple of Venus Genetrix was built in honor of the Roman goddess Venus. With the construction of the Caesar Forum, Caesar wanted to display his political power. Thus, with this new tradition that started with Caesar, many forums built by different emperors began to be built.

Forum of Augustus

Built by Emperor Augustus, the forum is located right next to the Forum of Nerva. Its construction began in 42 BC and was completed only 40 years later. The purpose of the Forum of Augustus was to reduce the crowded atmosphere in the Roman Forum by opening a place where the legal affairs of the state would be carried out. The journey to the wars started from here, and the spoils won at the end of the war were kept here. When he was successful in the Battle of Flippi, which he led, Augustus had a temple built in the Forum in the name of Mars Ultor, the god of war. The columns seen today are the remains of this temple.

The other building in the Forum of Augustus is the Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi. This building was built by a knightly order called the Knights Hospitaller. This order later became known as the Knights of Rhodes and later as the Knights of Malta. The building dates back to the late 13th century and was used until the Second World War.

Nerva Forum

On the other side of the Via Alessandrina, next to the Roman Forum, is the Forum of Nerva, another of the great forums of Rome. The Forum of Nerva, which can be viewed from the road, houses the ancient buildings of Rome. Although its construction was started by Emperor Domitian in 85 AD, it was completed in 97 AD during the reign of Nerva. For this reason, it is known as the Forum of Nerva. The Forum of Nerva, which is next to you along the way, was built on a long and narrow platform.

Trajan Forum

Forum of Trajan is twice the size of the Forum of Augustus. It was built with the spoils of Emperor Trajan’s conquest of the Dacian lands, which today border the Balkans, Moldova, Ukraine and Romania. Its construction lasted from 106 to 112.

Trajan’s Column, located in Trajan’s Forum, the last imperial square chronologically, was built in 113. The 38-meter-high column is adorned with reliefs depicting the Dacian campaign. Although the statue on the top was an eagle during Trajan’s time, it was replaced with a statue of Trajan after his death. In 1588, the statue of St. Pietro was installed. Today’s statue belongs to St. Pietro. The columns right next to the statue are actually the remains of the Basilica of Ulpia. The basilica was named Ulpia because Ulpia was Trajan’s surname.