Forum (Roman)

The Roman Forum (Latin: Forum Romanum, Italian: Foro Romano) was a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marshy valley, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum.

For centuries the Forum was the center of Roman public life: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial affairs. Here statues and monuments commemorated the city's great men. The heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history.

Developed in the valley between the Capitoline and Palatine Hills, the Forum is today a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archeological excavations attracting millions of tourists annually. It is located within the modern city of Rome, Italy.

The Forum developed from the 7th century BC and reached its culmination under the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Empire, the Forum suffered from neglect, looting, and the effects of time. Nevertheless, important restorations took place beginning in the 18th century, and extensive excavations continue to this day, yielding new insights into the history of Rome.

Key structures within the Forum included (but were not limited to): the Temple of Saturn, the Temple of Vesta, the Curia (Senate House), the Basilica Julia, the Basilica Aemilia, the Temple of Caesar, the Arch of Titus, the Arch of Septimius Severus, and the Rostra (speaker's platform). The Sacra Via, a main processional route, ran through the Forum.