The Roman Forum

The Roman Forum: November 14th

          The Roman Forum is an expansive piece of land where various Roman Emperors erected monuments and temples in honor of themselves and others.  On our excursion to the Roman Forum, we saw 20 ancient ruins, give or take.  Among some of the most notable are the Temple of Julius Caesar, the Temple of the Vesta, the House of the Vestals, the Basilica Julia, the Original Forum, the Temple of Saturn, the Basilica of Mexentius, the Arch of Septimius Severus, and the Arch of Titus.  Since the history found in the Roman Forum spans centuries, I will only discuss a few of my favorite monuments.

          First, I was fascinated by the Temple of the Vesta and the House of the Vestals.  In the Forum, I liked the Temple of the Vesta specifically because it was a round temple, granted only one small piece of it remains today.  I was also drawn to these monuments because we had discussed the Vestal Virgins in class.  These women were responsible for stoking the fire of the hearth and home in the Temple of the Vesta.  If they let the fire go out or engaged in sexual acts, they could be whipped or even buried alive.  These buildings were built between 7th and 6th century BC.

         Another monument that I found interesting was the Arch of Septimius Severus.  This arch was constructed in 203 AD in honor of Emperor Septimius Severus' Parthian Victories.  The inscription originally mentioned the Emperor and his two sons Geta and Caracella, but Geta's name was removed in 212 AD when a damnatio memoriae, or condemnation of memory was ordered by his brother.  Caracella killed Geta in 212 and ordered that his name be removed from every public buildings.  

         The Temple of Saturn was another of my favorite monuments in the Roman Forum.  Though the original temple was dedicated in 497 BC, it was rebuilt twice, and the current temple is from 283 AD. The temple was used as the Roman Treasury. 

          The Roman Forum is a critical site for Roman history because so many emperors erected monuments here.  The wealth and importance of ancient Rome can be seen even in the ruins of their once beautiful temples, arches, and basilicas.