Forum of Augustus, Rome, Italy - SpottingHistory.com

The Forum of Augustus is one of the Imperial forums of Rome, Italy, built by Augustus. It was built in 42 BC to commemorate Augustus' victory at the Battle of Philippi over the assassins of Julius Caesar.

The Temple of Mars Ultor stands in the forum. It was inaugurated in 2 BC and it came to function as the focal point of Roman military strategy. For example, Augustus decreed that it should be the meeting place for the Senate when decisions of war were taken. The temple was also the place where young Roman males were ceremoniously given their adult toga, thus becoming eligible for military service, and it was the official departure point for commanders embarking on military service in the empire.

Behind the temple stands a 30 m high tufa wall which is topped with white travertine. It was constructed to separate the Forum from the hill residences behind it and to act as a firewall should a fire start in this densely-populated area of the city. In the 1st century AD Tiberius added two arches to the temple sides in honour of his two sons Drusus the Younger and Germanicus but these have now been lost except for the foundations of one. In the 2nd century Hadrian repaired parts of the building but from the 5th century the building went into decline and blocks began to be re-used in other building projects.

From the 12th century soil was added to the site and the area used for agriculture, however, as the drains were then blocked, a marsh formed until the area was drained in the 16th century.

References:

ancient.eu

User Reviews

Keri Jones (2 years ago)
Glad we were able to visit this area!

Lenín Carrasco Aponte (2 years ago)
Great! Like the man who gave his name

Prince Llama (3 years ago)
Go here early in your trip so you can get a good historical primer and an appreciative idea of the scale of the city you will explore. Make sure its not raining! It's a unique experience that makes learning fun.

Smit Gupta (3 years ago)
Simply superb! Its just awesome how the ruins have been preserved and given a form to an outstanding light and sound show. Highly recommended!!

Alexander A. Plagge (3 years ago)
Amazing imperial Roman forum built in the era of emperor Augustus. It’s smaller than the Fori area on the other side of the street, but nevertheless very impressive. Make sure to visit the surrounding sites as well and soak in the atmosphere of thousands of years old history right in front of you. At night it’s especially beautiful when the multimedia shows illuminate the area.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Nicola since 1972

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Construction on the present building was begun in the 17th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Intended to house the King Philip III of Spain on a visit never fulfilled to this part of his kingdom, instead it initially housed the Viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro, count of Lemos. By 1616, the facade had been completed, and by 1620, the interior was frescoed by Battistello Caracciolo, Giovanni Balducci, and Belisario Corenzio. The decoration of the Royal Chapel of Assumption was not completed until 1644 by Antonio Picchiatti.

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In 1922, it was decided to transfer here the contents of the National Library. The transfer of library collections was made by 1925.

The library suffered from bombing during World War II and the subsequent military occupation of the building caused serious damage. Today, the palace and adjacent grounds house the famous Teatro San Carlo, the smaller Teatrino di Corte (recently restored), the Biblioteca Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele III, a museum, and offices, including those of the regional tourist board.

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