The Forum Holitorium or Olitorium (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for the "Market of the Vegetable Sellers"; ) is an archaeological area of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, Italy, on the slopes of the

Capitoline Hill The Capitolium or Capitoline Hill ( ; ; ), between the Roman Forum, Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. The hill was earlier known as ''Mons Saturnius'', dedicated to the god Saturn (mythology), Saturn. The wo ...

. It was located outside the Carmental Gate in the

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for 'Field of Mars'; Italian: ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers ...

, crowded between the cattle market (

Forum Boarium The Forum Boarium (, ) was the cattle market or '' forum venalium'' of ancient Rome. It was located on a level piece of land near the Tiber between the Capitoline, the Palatine and Aventine hills. As the site of the original docks of Rome () ...

) and buildings located in the

Circus Flaminius The Circus Flaminius was a large, circular area in ancient Rome, located in the southern end of the Campus Martius near the Tiber River. It contained a small race-track used for obscure games, and various other buildings and monuments. It was "bu ...

. In ancient times it was the fruit and vegetable market, while the area of the adjacent Forum Boarium served as meat market. At its northern end were the temples of Bellona, goddess of war, and Apollo Medicus. It also included a sacred area with three small temples dedicated to

Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janus (''Ianu ...

, Spes and Juno Sospita.

The sacred area

The construction of the sacred area of the forum dates back to the Republican age, more precisely to the period between the first and the

second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Ancient Carthage, Carthage and Roman Republic, Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For ...

. Subsequently, at the time of

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...

(

1st century BC The 1st century Before Christ, BC, also known as the last century BC and the last century Common Era , BCE, started on the first day of 100 BC, 100 BC and ended on the last day of 1 BC, 1 BC. The Anno Domini, AD/BC notation does not ...

), it underwent renovations which involved the demolition of a fourth temple: it was built by Manius Acilius Glabrio (

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

191 BC __NOTOC__ Year 191 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nasica and Glabrio (or, less frequently, year 563 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 191 BC for this year has been u ...

) next to the Temple of Janus and was demolished during the construction of the Theatre of Marcellus (then completed by

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

). The temple was dedicated to the worship of Diana. The staircases of the three temples were not aligned, which confirms the absence of uniform town-planning criteria during the Republican age. Their construction limited the area of the market, which previously might have extended up to the

Tiber The Tiber ( ; ; ) is the List of rivers of Italy, third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the R ...

. These temples are now part of the structure of the Basilica of San Nicola in Carcere, first attested in the

11th century The 11th century is the period from 1001 (represented by the Roman numerals MI) through 1100 (MC) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the 1st century of the 2nd millennium. In the history of Europe, this period is considered the early ...

Temple of Janus

The Temple of Janus was the one located on the right and the closest to the Theatre of Marcellus. Built by

Gaius Duilius Gaius Duilius ( 260–231 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. As consul in 260 BC, during the First Punic War, he won Rome's first ever victory at sea by defeating the Carthaginians at the Battle of Mylae. He later served as censor in 258, a ...

at the time of the First Punic War, it was restored in

AD 17 __NOTOC__ AD 17 ( XVII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flaccus and Rufus (or, less frequently, year 770 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination AD 17 for ...

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

. It was a

peripteros In Classical architecture Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more ...

temple ''sine postìcum'' (with columns on three sides), with eight

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...

( peperino) columns on the long sides and six on the front (hexastyle), covered with

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

and raised on a low podium with elegant shaping.

Temple of Spes

The Temple of Spes () was located on the left, in opposition to the Temple of Janus. It was built by Aulus Atilius Calatinus, at the time of the First Punic War as well; it was restored in

232 BC __NOTOC__ Year 232 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lepidus and Melleolus (or, less frequently, year 522 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 232 BC for this year has be ...

and rebuilt after the fire of 213 BC, which also destroyed the temples of

Sant'Omobono Area The Sant'Omobono Area (Italian: ''Area di Sant'Omobono'') is an archaeological site in Rome next to the church of Sant'Omobono, at the junction of via L. Petroselli and the Vico Jugario at the foot of the Campidoglio. It was discovered in 1937 a ...

;See Livy, XXV, 7.5-6: « t the beginning of 212 BC''two commissions of triumvirs were elected '' ..''the second to rebuild the temple of the goddess

Fortuna Fortuna (, equivalent to the Greek mythology, Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Religion in ancient Rome, Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular thr ...

and that of Mater Matuta, on this side of Porta Carmentalis, as well as the temple of Spes on the other side, all of which had been destroyed by fire in the previous year.''» finally it was restored in

by Germanicus Julius Caesar. It was a peripteros doric temple with six columns on the front and eleven on the long side; the columns were made of raw

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

and covered with stucco to simulate the appearance of marble. It measured in length and in width. Six columns of the temple with their

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...

still exist, incorporated in the left side of the church of San Nicola.

Temple of Juno Sospita

The temple of Juno Sospita was located between the temple of Spes and that of Janus: on its ruins, towards the end of the

, the current church was founded. Built around 195 BC by Gaius Cornelius Cethegus, it was a peripteros ionic temple, with six columns on the facade, three rows of columns on the front side and two on the back side. A travertine staircase, the same which is still used today to access the church, led to the pronaos of the temple. It was the largest of the three, since it measured in length and in width, as well as the tallest one, as can be seen by comparing the preserved columns of each of the temples. The present structure is due to the restoration commissioned by a certain Caecilia Metella in 90 BC. The remains of the temple are the basement, which can be visited inside the church, and three columns incorporated into the facade, one of which has no

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

; these columns were still visible in their original state before the facade was rebuilt. Other remains, such as some columns, are visible inside the church.

References

External links

*
Forum Holitorium
* {{Monuments of Rome Holitorium Rome R. XII Ripa Archaeological sites in Rome