Visiting il Foro Romano: the Roman Forum

In Rome city centre, near the Colosseum, there's what looks like a rambling jumble sale, as if somebody's dragged out a load of old (really old) statues and bits of building for an estate sale. They're all crammed in together, often in seemingly random arrangements, with ancient columns sticking out everywhere like they've sprouted as mushrooms overnight. The Roman Forum.

The Forum used to be the hub of the city. It has temples, halls of business and justice, and places for political and commercial endeavours.

Some structures in the Forum have been reconstructed and look whole, like the Arch of Titus. Others, like the Temple of Vesta, look as you'd expect after almost 2,000 years: much the worse for wear.

The Arch of Titus

The Arch of Titus towers over the Palatine Hill end of the Forum (the other end being Capitoline Hill). It was built c. AD 81 to commemorate the Romans' victory over the Israelites when war broke out over the Israelites' refusal to worship Roman emperors as gods. Jerusalem was plundered by the Romans, as depicted inside the arch where carvings show Romans carrying off Jewish treasures, including a menorah.

Although many sources on the Arch leave this out (it's hard to know if this is a deliberate decision relating to the historical evidence or, more probably, simply a convenient wiping clean of history), it was almost certainly built using the forced labour of enslaved people. Some scholars believe it was the labour of enslaved Jewish people brought to Rome after the war, forced to build a monument to their own defeat (people also think enslaved Jewish people likely built the Colosseum).

Most of what you see of ancient Rome was likely built by enslaved people. There is copious evidence of widespread enslavement in ancient Roman society; we've even found human tags that were attached to enslaved people. In fact, there was a market for enslaved people near the Temple of Castor and Pollux, which is in the Forum (look for the three towering columns with a precarious pile of marble slabs perched on top).

Temple of Castor and Pollux

Near the Arch of Titus is the Basilica of Constantine: an ancient Roman hall of justice. The remaining arches of this building tower over people wandering the Forum, but consider its original height. The sticky-out bits on the near side at the top of the wall are the base of higher arches that would've supported a roof 130 feet high.

Law was a big deal in ancient Rome. In fact, it was such a big deal, and their legal principles so well-developed, that Roman law is the foundation of many modern common law systems (including English law). I studied ancient Roman law at university and wish there'd been a field trip to the Forum, as I never quite grasped an understanding of the society that came up with the roots of my profession.

The Basilica of Constantine

For a look at why they call Rome the Eternal City, stop by the Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina (c. AD 141). The massive Corinthian columns and steps leading up to them are part of the original structure, but what lies within? Incredibly, a church was built later inside the ruins of the Temple. I suppose it gave the church a free grand entrance.

Rome is like this - newer buildings built on, in, and from older ones. If you have the time (and a detailed guidebook), you can spend weeks unpicking the layered history of the city.

The Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina

In my post about the Colosseum, I talk about the misogyny of ancient Rome. That bias is most tangible in the House of the Vestal Virgins. Peer into the calm waters of its two ponds and consider the women buried alive for purportedly failing to keep their vow of celibacy during their 30-year stint as Vestal Virgins tending the eternal flame in the Temple of Vesta.

In the middle: the House of the Vestal Virgins

Roaming (Rome-ing?) the Forum feels a bit like perusing a car boot (if the car boot also had ancient history and huge emotional cultural themes lingering amongst the McDonald's toys and CDs). Along the ground, laid out like odd shoes and broken Playstations, are bits of column, pieces of statue, and unidentified slabs of marble.

The events and social legacies of this ancient place are as jumbled and complex as the pieces of stone that remain here, baking in the Italian sun.

Practicalities

Access to the Roman Forum is via a combined ticket with the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. Book in advance. You'll get timed entry to the Colosseum, which you enter separately, but you have to visit the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill at the same time.

If you're visiting when it's hot, try to go early in the morning. In September, the days were very hot from 1 pm until around 6 pm and there's little shade in the Forum.

There are few information boards. Get a good guidebook; I like Rick Steves' book and his free audio tours (this isn't an ad).

While some people say the food near the Forum and Colosseum is overpriced and underwhelming, it's pretty decent at the restaurants on the corner of Via dei Fori Imperiali and Via Cavour. There's better pasta to be found in Rome, but it's a good place to rest between your Colosseum and Forum visits.

If you can't get or afford a ticket, you can see most of the Forum from public areas. Walk along Via dei Fori Imperiali admiring the Forum as you go, then walk up the steps of the Victor Emmanuel II Monument to the (free access) viewing terrace.

There are great views from the Capitoline Museums and the top terrace of the Victor Emmanuel II Monument (both paid entry).

If you're visiting Rome, read about visiting Palatine Hill (just next door), the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums.