Ancient monuments Lazio

It is the largest and most sumptuous of the forums. The Trajan Forum is a 300 m x 190 m quadrilateral, built in 112 AD. It is best known for housing the famous column that bears his name. Bounded by the basilica Ulpia, the forums of Caesar and Augustus and the markets of Trajan, this forum was designed by the great architect Apollodore of Damascus. For its construction, an entire hill was razed to the ground between the Quirinal and the Capitol, to give the necessary scale to the complex.

Trajane column. At a height of 10 Roman feet, corresponding to 30 m, it tells in 17 marble rings and 155 paintings the story of Trajan's victorious campaigns against Dacia, today's Romania. It is the main monument of the forum. The column is inflated to half height, to avoid the impression of concavity that its height would cause; the relative size of the figures in its bas-reliefs in relation to the whole increases as the viewer moves away from it. Try it, it's obvious! The 2,500 scenes that adorn the column provide very valuable insights into the military techniques and equipment of the time. To find out more, casts displayed at the EUR-Museum of Roman Civilization make it possible to analyse the smallest details. The base of the column housed the emperor Trajan's gold funeral urn, unfortunately it was stolen in the Middle Ages. The statue of Saint Peter, at the top of the column, has replaced the statue of the emperor since the 17th century, which is now lost

The Arch of Titus was built by Domitian in 81 A.D., in honour of his brother and predecessor Titus, to commemorate the taking and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. It is the oldest of the three triumphal arches still visible in Rome. It consists of a single arch, and its sides are decorated with bas-reliefs showing, on the one hand, Rome guiding Titus' quadriga and, on the other, the booty, including the temple furniture and in particular the seven-branched candlestick carried by the Roman soldiers during the triumphal parade.

In front of the curia, there is an arched platform called rostra. This Latin term refers to the spurs of enemy ships that the Romans obtained after each naval victory and proudly hung on the first platform as early as the 3rd century BC. It was here that the Republic's speakers, senators, magistrates and tribunes delivered their great speeches and defended their projects before the assembled people to listen to them. Stop for a moment and imagine Cicero pleading....

The Arch of Septimius Severus (193-211), erected in 203 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Emperor's reign, is one of three triumphal arches still visible in Rome. It currently separates the Curia from the Rostres and is one of the best preserved in the city. Interesting bas-reliefs celebrate the emperor's victories over the Parthians, which Roman soldiers drag in chains. The monument was dedicated to the Emperor and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta. Geta's name was erased when Caracalla had her younger brother murdered in order to rule alone.

The area that extends from the Tiber to the foot of the three hills of the Capitol, the Palatine and the Aventine was occupied in ancient times by the port of Rome and by the food markets (forums): the holitorium forum (vegetables), at the foot of the Capitol, and the boarium forum (cattle) in the south, at the foot of the Aventine. These forums were supplied by ships that, after sailing up the Tiber from Ostia, docked on the bank below the bridge over the river. This bridge, first built in the 2nd century BC, collapsed several times. Today, there are only two arches left in the middle of the river, at the end of the Tiberine Island. It is called the Rotto egg laying (the broken bridge). The markets were under the protection of many deities who had their temple nearby. Today, only two remain and remains of a few others are still visible in the basements of the church of San Nicola in Carcere. The first, the round one, was dedicated to Hercules, while the other, the rectangular one, was dedicated to Portunus, the protector of the port facilities. Both were transformed into churches, but in the early 20th century, the Christian additions were removed and brought back to their ancient appearance. The foro boario and the foro olitorio are of great importance in Roman history and were undoubtedly one of the pillars of the economy of ancient Rome.