To celebrate this success the emperor built the forum and dedicated it to Mars, the Roman god of war. The Forum of Augustus thus featured a grand temple of which the columns and steps can still be seen today alongside a regal statue of Augustus.

Forum of Augustus history

After the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC when Augustus – then Octavian – and Marc Anthony avenged the assassination of Julius Caesar, Augustus vowed to build a temple honouring Mars. When he became Princeps of Rome in 27 BC (‘first man’ of the Senate) under the name Augustus, he planned to build a temple in a new forum named for himself.

Augustus harnessed social propaganda by creating an image of himself in Caesar’s likeness and fulfilling the dictator’s wishes to create the temple to Mars Ultor, ‘greater than any in existence’. The land upon which the new forum was built was already owned by Augustus, but he would need more.

Securing more land without force took time, and the forum and its temple were eventually inaugurated in 2 BC, albeit incomplete, 40 years after Augustus first vowed them. Not only housing the temple, the Forum of Augustus provided an alternate social and political space besides the crowded Roman Forum.

Before battles generals would set off from the Temple of Mars after a ceremony and later dedicate their spoils to Mars at the altar. The space was also lined with over a hundred statues of notable Roman men, inscribed with their achievements, including Augustus and reinforcing his lineage. The forum was also where Augustus’ lost standards were returned from the Parthians.

Tiberius added 2 triumphal arches to the Forum of Augustus in 19 AD to honour Drusus the Younger and Germanicus. However, by the 4th century the forum was in decreasing use, seriously damaged during earthquakes and wars. In the 9th century, a Basilian monastery was established on the ruined temple.

Forum of Augustus today

Today, only ruins of the Forum of Augustus remain, most notably 3 marble columns from the Temple of Mars, towering 15 metres high. The concrete base of the temple is well-preserved as is some of the podium, lined with marble slabs originally decorated with bronze scenes. The podium has a chamber cut into it during the Middle Ages to act as a burial vault.

While you can grab an audio guide to explore the forum, there are also spectacular light and sound displays in the evenings that help visitors envision what the forum looked in its heyday.

Getting to the Forum of Augustus

Located in the ancient heart of Rome, the Forum of Augustus is easily found on foot along the Via Alessandrina. Buses 85 and 87 stop at Fori Imperiali, outside the forum, and buses 75, 117, nMB just round the corner at Cavour/Ricci. The nearest Metro stop on MEB and MEB1 is Cavour, an 8 minute walk away.

Forum of Caesar history

At the time of the opening of the Forum of Caesar, the famous Roman leader had won a victory over his rival Pompey the Great at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC. A celebration of this victory was constructed at the Forum of Caesar in the form of the Temple of Venus Genetrix: the goddess to which the temple was dedicated was the defender of the Julian clan.

The impressive forum stretched from the popular Roman street of Argiletum on the Roman Forum’s south end to the Atrium Libertatis, seat of the censor’s archive. When the forum was completed in 46 BC it was dedicated to Caesar and as part of the celebrations, the man himself funded lavish public games.

While the Forum of Caesar was initially meant to expand the Roman Forum, it increasingly became associated with the dictator. Before his assassination, Caesar had the Senate meet him in front of his temple, built very close to the Curia – this was pretty unpopular.

Forum of Caesar today

Today, the columns and platform of a Temple of Venus Genetrix can be seen at the Forum of Caesar. Albeit this was not the original forum, but a rebuilt version completed under the emperor Trajan after the original burnt down in 80 AD. After wandering the ruins you can stop to catch a 55 minute film about the history of the Forum of Caesar, every 20 minutes between 9 and 12pm.

Getting to the Forum of Caesar

Only a couple of minutes walk from the Colosseum, the Forum of Caesar is easily found on foot within Rome’s ancient heart. The nearest bus stop is along the road outside, Fori Imperiali, which serves buses 85 and 87.

History of Forum of Trajan

The crowning element of the Forum of Trajan is colonna Traiana, or ‘Trajan’s column’. Dedicated in 113 AD, yet still incredibly well preserved, this impressive structure comprises of a 98 foot column adorned with elaborate friezes chronicling the Dacian Wars. These detailed friezes document key moments of the wars, including the final expulsion of the Dacians from their native soil.

It is worth noting that the statue at the peak of Trajan’s Column is not of the emperor, but of Saint Peter, which was added by Pope Sixtus V in 1587.

Originally, the Forum of Trajan would have contained several buildings, including two libraries which would have flanked Trajan’s Column. The remains of one of these can still be discerned today near the Foro Imperiale as can some other buildings.

One of the more visible sets of remains belongs to the Basilica Ulpia, an administrative centre, the foundations, and some granite columns which are visible next to Trajan’s Column.

However, it is Trajan’s Markets, the Ancient Roman centre built in the Forum of Trajan, which forms the star attraction. The brick walls of the semi-circular structure of Trajan’s Markets stand in the centre of Rome and, whilst historians once thought that this was the Roman equivalent of a shopping centre, recent evidence suggests it may have played more of a financial or administrative role.

Forum of Trajan Today

At the moment, only the lower section of the Trajan’s Markets is open to the public, but the whole site can always be viewed from the streets above. When it is open again, visitors can walk through the hall of the red-brick structure and peer into the high-ceilinged rooms where local merchants once made their living.

Getting to Forum of Trajan

Leptis Magna history

Founded as early as the 7th century BC by Phoenicians of Tyre or Sidon, the ancient city of Leptis Magna was later settled by Carthaginians towards the end of the 6th century BC.

The city’s natural harbour at the mouth of the Wadi Labdah facilitated its growth as a major trade centre. It also became a market for agricultural production in the fertile coastland region. In 202 BC, near to the conclusion of the Second Punic War, it passed to Masinissa’s Numidian kingdom, from which it broke away in 111 BC to become an ally of Rome.

Septimus Severus who became emperor of Rome in 193 AD was born in Leptis Magna and hence became a patron of Leptis Magna. He invested heavily in developing his home city, transforming it into one of the most important of Africa’s Roman cities. Most of the remaining structures now found at the site are Roman and originate from the reign of Septimius Severus.

Over the following centuries, however, Leptis began to decline due to the increasing insecurity of the frontiers, culminating in a disastrous incursion in 363, and the growing economic difficulties of the Roman Empire. After the Arab conquest of 642, the status of Leptis as an urban centre effectively ceased, and it fell into ruin.

The ruins of Leptis Magna were pillaged throughout history, though for the most part, they lay buried by sand. Excavations began in the 1920s. At that time the Libyan Antiquities Service, as well as groups of Italian archaeologists, began labouring to preserve and study the site.

Leptis Magna today

Among the many remains found in Severus’ home city, the marketplace, Severan Basilica, the Forum, the Amphitheatre and the Severan Arch represent some of the best-preserved Roman sites in the Mediterranean.

These sites remain visible at the site despite the various invasions that befell Leptis Magna from the fourth century onwards, finally falling to the Hilalians in the eleventh century. Today, Leptis Magna is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Getting to Leptis Magna

Check the official advice of your country’s foreign office before considering travelling to Libya.

Tarragona Roman Forum history

The Roman city of Tarraco was the capital of the Hispania Tarraconensis as well as a fortress against the Carthaginians, and therefore was one of the empire’s most important cities. Tarragona’s provincial forum was built around 30 BC, the city being expanded after Augustus wintered there during his Cantabrian campaign.

Like most Roman cities, the Tarragona forum would have functioned as a central marketplace and social space that often saw political discussions and debate, meetings and business arrangements. Modelled on the Roman Forum, fora were located at the intersection of the city’s main streets and contain a Temple of Jupiter, as well as a basilica and large steps for speeches.

Unlike most other cities (but along with Merida and Cordoba), Tarragona as a provincial capital had two fora: one in the lower town which housed issues concerning the town itself, and another in the upper town that saw larger ceremonies and legal proceedings related to the province. The provincial forum was excavated in the 1920s.

Tarragona Roman Forum today

What remains today of Tarragona’s Roman Forum are the ruined basilica, cistern and several impressive distinctive Corinthian columns with a fluted length and cornice decorated with leaves of the provincial forum. What remains of the town’s forum is a large brick wall in Plaça del Forum, 15 minutes walk away.

You can clearly see the arches from which public courts would have been held in the basilica, as well as the foundations of steps where imperial speeches would have been made. Walking along the footbridge, imagine yourself in this busy Roman metropolis, still a bustling town.

Getting to Tarragona Roman Forum

Tarragona is located only 100km south of Barcelona on the golden coast. If driving from Barcelona, follow the C-32 and AP-7 along the coast to the forum. There is nearby parking at Mitja Lluna.

For those using public transport, the Fòrum bus stop on line 53 is a 2 minute walk from the forum. Prat de la Riba serves lines 3, 6, 22, 23, 30, 34 and 54, and is 3 minutes away.

Zadar Roman Forum history

Under Julius Caesar, parts of Croatia became part of the expanding Roman Empire. In 48 BC, Zadar became a Roman colonia, a stronghold to keep conquered territories secure. Resultantly, Zadar acquired the features characteristic of an Ancient Roman city, including a  regular road network, a capitolium with a temple, and a forum. Zadar’s impressive forum was commissioned by Caesar’s successor and nephew, Emperor Augustus, demonstrated in two inscriptions in stone from the 3rd century, placed upon the forum’s completion.

The Roman Forum in Zadar was the figurative and physical centre of public life, modelled on the Forum in Rome. The Zadar Roman Forum was no exception: located at the intersection of the city’s north- and south-bound roads, the Kalelagra and the Simon Kožičić Benja street. In addition to functioning as a marketplace, the forum was a place for social gatherings and often held scenes of diverse activities including political discussions, debates, rendezvous and meetings.

After a violent 6th century earthquake, the buildings surrounding the Zadar Forum were levelled. Over the course of history, the medieval square had a Renaissance cistern built.

Zadar Roman Forum today

Today, after over two millenia, only the original pavement and stairs remain of the temple at the forum, as well as two monumental columns, one of which still in its original place. The column is thought to be a shame pillar, with holes to hold chains, reflecting the social significance of the forum as a site for justice. On the west side of the Capitolio, notice a plastered wall with the remains of frescoes, the celebration point of the mystic cult of Cybele, the Great Mother.

An excellent example of its kind, the Zadar Roman Forum is also still home to several monuments as well as providing a wonderful view of the famous St Donatus Church. The site is still a social spot, used to host concerts, films and other commemorative events.

Getting to Zadar Roman Forum

Zadar is reached by car on the 424; free parking can be found a 15 minute walk away on Ravnice. Zadar Bus Terminal is a 25 minute walk, from which you can hire bicycles from nextbike.