Roman Forum Essay

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Introduction The Roman Forum was the political, commercial, religious and social hub of the Roman Republic and later of the great Roman Empire. The forum was the centre of Roman life, all important decisions were made in the small open rectangle which was approximately 100 long and 70 metres wide. This rectangle witnessed some of the most important events in Roman History, and the life of the entire city was concentrated there. Under the empire, when it primarily became a centre for religious and ceremonies, it was the site of many of the city’s most imposing temples and monuments. Although its role changed constantly over time it was used for public meetings, law courts, and gladiator combats in republican times and was lined with shops and markets. The …show more content…

The Forum began with the Comitium, a place where people assembled situated in the northeast of the Forum, and in the southeast corner was the Regia building that contained the chief priest’s records and the sanctuary of Vesta, and this was created in 675 BC, when King Numa Pompilius built his house (Regia) in the Forum. The earliest temple was most probably a round hut thatched with straw, this temple went through many changes. Early Republic (600-300BC) From the 6th to 3rd century BC the number of buildings increased, but these were made from tufa which is volcanic stone, a stone which was relatively weak and unstable. Some temples that were constructed during this period were the Temple of Janus (500BC), the Temple of Saturn (498BC), the temple of Castor and Pollux (484BC) and the temple of Concord

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