A view of the Roman Forum.

This list of monuments of the Roman Forum (Forum Romanum) includes existing and former buildings, memorials and other built structures in the famous Roman public plaza during its 1,400 years of active use (8th century BC–ca 600 AD). It is divided into three categories: those ancient structures that can be seen today as ruins or reconstructions, ancient structures that have vanished or exist only as fragments, and churches of the later, Christian, era.

Many of the Forum's monuments were originally built in the periods of the Roman Kingdom (753 BC–509 BC) and the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC), although most were destroyed and rebuilt several times. The existing ruins generally date from the Roman Empire (27 BC–476 AD).

Existing (or reconstructed) ruins

Temples

Basilicas

Arches

Government buildings or official residences

  • Regia, originally the residence of the kings of Rome or at least their main headquarters, and later the office of the Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of Roman religion.
  • Curia Julia, official meeting place of the Roman Senate (built by Julius Caesar, 44 BC; later reconstruction by Diocletian, 305 AD)
  • Tabularium, the records office of Rome; inside is the Tabularium Museum
  • Portico Dii Consentes ("Portico of the Harmonious Gods")
  • Atrium Vestae, the house of the Vestal Virgins.
  • Tullianum, the prison used to hold various foreign leaders and generals.

Smaller monuments

  • Rostra (New Rostra, Rostra Augusti), platform from which politicians made their speeches to the Roman citizens
  • Umbilicus urbis Romae, the designated centre ("navel") of the city from which, and to which, all distances in Rome and the Roman Empire were measured (probably identical with the Mundus Cereris)
  • Milliarium Aureum After Augustus erected this monument, all roads were considered to begin here and all distances in the Roman Empire were measured relative to that point.
  • Column of Phocas, the last monument built within the Forum.
  • Lapis Niger ("Black Stone"), a very ancient shrine which was obscure even to the Romans.
  • Plutei of Trajan (Plutei Traiani), now in the Curia Julia

Pools, springs

  • The Lacus Curtius, the site of a mysterious pool venerated by Romans even after they had forgotten what it signified.
  • The Lacus Iuturnae ("Spring of Juturna"), a healing pool where Castor and Pollux were said to have watered their horses

Roads, streets, staircases

Vanished (or almost vanished) structures

Associated with the old Comitium

Elsewhere in the Forum

The Temple of Saturn, Arch of Septimius Severus, and Temple of Vespasian and Titus

Christian churches

References

  1. ↑ Columna Rostrata C. Duilii in Samuel Ball Platner and Thomas Ashby: A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome (1929).
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