THE ROMAN FORUM

A Forum was the main center of a Roman city.

Usually located near the physical center of a Roman town, it served as a public area in which commercial, religious, economic, political, legal, and social activities occurred. Fora were common in all Roman cities, but none were as grand as the fora of Rome itself.

A forum is not unlike a Greek Agora in concept and even design somewhat. It is likely that there was some Greek influence on the concept of a public gathering place for the Romans. In fact, a Roman forum often included certain physical aspects of a Greek agora, such as the use of porticoes. However, where an agora was maintained as an open public place in a Greek city, Roman fora developed into much more, with greater purpose and use. They were filled with shops, porticoes, temples, offices, and triumphal arches; and they were where important civic and political announcements were made, as well as where the less tasteful aspects of Roman life occurred, such as prostitution. As the years of Roman history passed, the fora of Rome became quite enclosed, and probably very crowded and chaotic

.Once the centre of public and political life in Ancient Rome, the Roman Forum is now the most impressive archaeological site in the Eternal City, attracting more than 4.5 million visitors every year. Located close to the Colosseum and Palatine Hill in the historic centre of Rome, the Forum is a sprawling labyrinth of ancient ruins, including the Temple of Saturm, the Arch of Titus and the House of the Vestals.