This list of monuments of the Roman Forum (''Forum Romanum'') includes existing and former buildings, memorials and other built structures in the famous Roman public plaza during its 1,400 years of active use (8th century BC–ca 600 AD). It is divided into three categories: those ancient structures that can be seen today as ruins or reconstructions, ancient structures that have vanished or exist only as fragments, and churches of the later, Christian, era. Many of the Forum's monuments were originally built in the periods of the Kingdom (753 BC–509 BC) and the Republic (509 BC–27 BC), although most were destroyed and rebuilt several times. The existing ruins generally date from the Imperial period (27 BC–476 AD).

Existing (or reconstructed) ruins

Temples

Temple of Castor and Pollux The Temple of Castor and Pollux ( it, Tempio dei Dioscuri) is an ancient temple in the Roman Forum, Rome, central Italy. It was originally built in gratitude for victory at the Battle of Lake Regillus (495 BC). Castor and Pollux (Greek Polydeuces ...

(494 BC) *

Temple of Saturn The Temple of Saturn (Latin: ''Templum Saturni'' or '' Aedes Saturni''; it, Tempio di Saturno) was an ancient Roman temple to the god Saturn, in what is now Rome, Italy. Its ruins stand at the foot of the Capitoline Hill at the western end of ...

(501 BC) *

Temple of Vesta The Temple of Vesta, or the aedes (Latin ''Aedes Vestae''; Italian: ''Tempio di Vesta''), is an ancient edifice in Rome, Italy. The temple is located in the Roman Forum near the Regia and the House of the Vestal Virgins. The Temple of Vesta hou ...

(7th century BC) *

Temple of Venus and Roma The Temple of Venus and Roma (Latin: ''Templum Veneris et Romae'') is thought to have been the largest temple in Ancient Rome. Located on the Velian Hill, between the eastern edge of the Forum Romanum and the Colosseum, in Rome, it was dedicated ...

(135) *

Temple of Antoninus and Faustina The Temple of Antoninus and Faustina is an ancient Roman temple in Rome, which was later converted into a Roman Catholic church, the Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Miranda or simply "San Lorenzo in Miranda". It is located in the Forum Romanum, on the V ...

(141) *

Temple of Caesar The Temple of Caesar or Temple of Divus Iulius ( la, Aedes Divi Iuli; it, Tempio del Divo Giulio), also known as Temple of the Deified Julius Caesar, ''delubrum'', '' heroon'' or Temple of the Comet Star,Pliny the Elder, ''Naturalis Historia'', ...

(29 BC) *

Temple of Vespasian and Titus The Temple of Vespasian and Titus ( la, Templum divi Vespasiani,Platner, Samuel B., and Ashby, Thomas. ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome''. London: Oxford UP, 1929; p. 556. it, Tempio di Vespasiano) is located in Rome at the western e ...

(79) *

Temple of Romulus A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

(309)

Basilicas

Basilica Aemilia The Basilica Aemilia ( it, Basilica Emilia, links=no) was a civil basilica in the Roman Forum, in Rome, Italy. Today only the plan and some rebuilt elements can be seen. The Basilica was 100 meters (328 ft) long and about 30 meters (98&nbs ...

Basilica Julia The Basilica Julia ( it, Basilica Giulia) was a structure that once stood in the Roman Forum. It was a large, ornate, public building used for meetings and other official business during the Roman Empire. Its ruins have been excavated. What is lef ...

* Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine **''

Colossus of Constantine The ''Colossus of Constantine'' ( it, Statua Colossale di Costantino I) was a many times life-size acrolithic early-4th-century statue depicting the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (''c.'' 280–337), commissioned by himself, which orig ...

'', colossal statue formerly in the west apse of the Basilica of Maxentius

Arches

Arch of Septimius Severus The Arch of Septimius Severus ( it, Arco di Settimio Severo) at the northwestern end of the Roman Forum is a white marble triumphal arch dedicated in 203 A.D. to commemorate the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons, ...

Arch of Titus The Arch of Titus ( it, Arco di Tito; la, Arcus Titi) is a 1st-century AD honorific arch, located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in 81 AD by the Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of ...

Arch of Constantine The Arch of Constantine ( it, Arco di Costantino) is a triumphal arch in Rome dedicated to the emperor Constantine the Great. The arch was commissioned by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milv ...

Government buildings or official residences

Regia The Regia ("Royal house") was a two-part structure in Ancient Rome lying along the Via Sacra at the edge of the Roman Forum that originally served as the residence or one of the main headquarters of kings of Rome and later as the office of the ...

, originally the residence of the kings of Rome or at least their main headquarters, and later the office of the Pontifex Maximus, the high priest of Roman religion. *

Curia Julia The Curia Julia ( la, Curia Iulia, links=no, it, Curia Iulia, links=no) is the third named ''curia'', or senate house, in the ancient city of Rome. It was built in 44 BC, when Julius Caesar replaced Faustus Cornelius Sulla's reconstructed Curia ...

, official meeting place of the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

(built by Julius Caesar, 44 BC; later reconstruction by Diocletian, 305 AD) *

Tabularium The Tabularium was the official records office of ancient Rome and housed the offices of many city officials. Situated within the Roman Forum, it was on the front slope of the Capitoline Hill, below the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, to t ...

, the records office of Rome; inside is the Tabularium Museum * Portico Dii Consentes ("Portico of the Harmonious Gods") * Atrium Vestae, the house of the Vestal Virgins. *

Tullianum The Mamertine Prison ( it, Carcere Mamertino), in antiquity the Tullianum, was a prison (''carcer'') with a dungeon ('' oubliette'') located in the Comitium in ancient Rome. It is said to have been built in the 7th century BC and was situated o ...

, the prison used to hold various foreign leaders and generals.

Smaller monuments

Rostra The rostra ( it, Rostri, links=no) was a large platform built in the city of Rome that stood during the republican and imperial periods. Speakers would stand on the rostra and face the north side of the comitium towards the senate house and de ...

(New Rostra, ''Rostra Augusti''), platform from which politicians made their speeches to the Roman citizens *

Umbilicus urbis Romae The ''Umbilicus Urbis Romae'' ()—"Navel of the City of Rome"—was the symbolic centre of the city from which, and to which, all distances in Ancient Rome were measured. It was situated in the Roman Forum where its remnants can still be seen. Th ...

, the designated centre ("navel") of the city from which, and to which, all distances in Rome and the Roman Empire were measured (probably identical with the Mundus Cereris) *

Milliarium Aureum The ''Milliarium Aureum'' (; it, Miliario Aureo), also known by the translation Golden Milestone, was a monument, probably of marble or gilded bronze, erected by the Emperor Augustus near the Temple of Saturn in the central Forum of Ancient ...

After

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

erected this monument, all roads were considered to begin here and all distances in the Roman Empire were measured relative to that point. *

Column of Phocas The Column of Phocas ( it, Colonna di Foca) is a Roman monumental column in the Roman Forum of Rome, Italy, built when Rome was part of the Eastern Roman Empire after its reconquest from the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths. History Erected in front o ...

, the last monument built within the Forum. *

Lapis Niger The Lapis Niger (Latin, "Black Stone") is an ancient shrine in the Roman Forum. Together with the associated Vulcanal (a sanctuary to Vulcan) it constitutes the only surviving remnants of the old Comitium, an early assembly area that preceded t ...

("Black Stone"), a very ancient shrine which was obscure even to the Romans. *

Plutei of Trajan The Plutei of Trajan (Latin ''Plutei Traiani''; often called the ''Anaglypha Traiani'') are carved stone balustrades built for the Roman emperor Trajan. They are on display inside the Curia Julia in the Roman Forum today, but are not part of the or ...

(''Plutei Traiani''), now in the Curia Julia

Pools, springs

* The

Lacus Curtius The Lacus Curtius ("Lake Curtius") was a mysterious pit or pool in the ground in the Forum Romanum. The area where the Forum would later be built was originally likely a lake, as the area it was in is known to have been surrounded by brooks and ...

, the site of a mysterious pool venerated by Romans even after they had forgotten what it signified. * The Lacus Iuturnae ("Spring of Juturna"), a healing pool where Castor and Pollux were said to have watered their horses

Roads, streets, staircases

Gemonian stairs The Gemonian Stairs ( la, Scalae Gemoniae, it, Scale Gemonie) were a flight of steps located in the ancient city of Rome. Nicknamed the Stairs of Mourning, the stairs are infamous in Roman history as a place of execution. Location The steps ...

steps situated in the central part of Rome, leading from the Arx of the Capitoline Hill down to the Roman Forum. *

Clivus Capitolinus The main road to the Roman Capitol, the Clivus Capitolinus ("Capitoline Rise") starts at the head of the Roman Forum beside the Arch of Tiberius as a continuation of the Via Sacra; proceeding around the Temple of Saturn and turning to the south in ...

was the street that started at the Arch of Tiberius, wound around the Temple of Saturn, and ended at Capitoline Hill. * ''

Via Sacra The Via Sacra (, "''Sacred Street''") was the main street of ancient Rome, leading from the top of the Capitoline Hill, through some of the most important religious sites of the Forum (where it is the widest street), to the Colosseum. The ro ...

'', the famous

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

al street of

Roman Triumph The Roman triumph (') was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the success of a military commander who had led Roman forces to victory in the service of the state or in some historical tra ...

s; linked the Atrium Vestae with the

Colosseum The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...

. * '' Vicus Jugarius'' ("Street of the Yoke-Makers")

Vanished (or almost vanished) structures

Associated with the old Comitium

Curia Hostilia The Curia Hostilia was one of the original senate houses or "curiae" of the Roman Republic. It was believed to have begun as a temple where the warring tribes laid down their arms during the reign of Romulus (r. c. 771–717 BC). During the early ...

(''c.'' 560 BC-''c.'' 80 BC), original meeting place of the Senate (replaced by the Curia Cornelia) * Basilica Porcia (184 BC), first basilica in the Forum area; built by Marcus Portius Cato (Cato the Elder) * Curia Cornelia (''c.'' 80 BC-''c.'' 50 BC), subsequent meeting place of the Senate (replaced by the

) * Rostra Vetera (Old Rostra), main speaker's platform until it was replaced by the nearby ''Rostra Augusta'' ( New Rostra) *

Graecostasis The Graecostasis was a platform in the Comitium near the Roman Forum, located to the west of the Rostra. The name refers to the Greek ambassadors for whom the platform was originally built after the Roman Republic conquered Greece. Placed at the s ...

, platform or "grandstand" for Greek and other foreign ambassadors * Statue of Attus Navius and the ''

Ficus Navia The ''Ficus Ruminalis'' was a wild fig tree that had religious and mythological significance in ancient Rome. It stood near the small cave known as the Lupercal at the foot of the Palatine Hill and was the spot where according to tradition the fl ...

'' (Navian fig tree), in front of the

(the well-being of Rome was supposed to be dependent upon the health of this sacred fig-tree) *

Columna Maenia The Columna Maenia was an honorary column erected in the comitium of the Roman Republic by Gaius Maenius in 338 BC for his victory over the Latins at the Battle of Antium. Gaius Maenius also adorned the Rostra, with the naval rams (''rostra'' in La ...

("Column of Maenius"), a commemorative column celebrating the (second) Battle of Antium (338 BC) * Columna Rostrata C. Duilii ("

Rostral Column A rostral column is a type of victory column originating in ancient Greece and Rome, where they were erected to commemorate a naval military victory. Its defining characteristic is the integrated prows or rams of ships, representing captured ...

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 commemorative column celebrating the naval Battle of Mylae (260 BC); remnants of the inscription are in the

Capitoline Museum The Capitoline Museums (Italian: ''Musei Capitolini'') are a group of art and archaeological museums in Piazza del Campidoglio, on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. The historic seats of the museums are Palazzo dei Conservatori and Pal ...

''Columna Rostrata C. Duilii''
in Samuel Ball Platner and Thomas Ashby: ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome'' (1929).

Elsewhere in the Forum

* Altar of Saturn (''Ara Saturni''), much older than the associated Temple of Saturn * Arch of Augustus (29 BC), commemorated the

Battle of Actium The Battle of Actium was a naval battle fought between a maritime fleet of Octavian led by Marcus Agrippa and the combined fleets of both Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII Philopator. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC in the Ionian Sea, ...

(31 BC) *

Arch of Fabius The Arch of Fabius ( la, Fornix Fabianus) was an ancient Roman arch located at the eastern end of the Roman Forum. Built in 121 BCE by Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus to celebrate his victory over the Allobroges, it was the first triumphal ...

(''Fornix Fabianus''; 121 BC), earliest

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, cro ...

in the Forum * Arch of Tiberius (16 AD) *

Basilica Fulvia The Basilica Fulvia was a basilica built in ancient Rome. According to Livy (40.51), the censors M. Aemilius Lepidus and M. Fulvius Nobilior (after whom it was named) had it built in 179 BC. It may be that there had been a previous building e ...

(179 BC), replaced by the

in 78 BC * Basilica Paulli *

Basilica Opimia The Basilica Opimia was one of four Republican-era basilicas in the Roman Forum. The other two were the Basilica Aemilia, the Basilica Porcia, and the Basilica Sempronia. Of the three, only the Basilica Aemilia partially survives. It was built ...

Basilica Sempronia The Basilica Sempronia was a structure in the Roman Forum during the Republican period. It was one of four basilicas to make up the original Roman Forum alongside the Basilica Porcia, Basilica Aemilia, and Basilica Opimia, and was the third buil ...

(170 BC), replaced by the

in 46 BC *"Ficus, Olea, Vitus", a small garden plot in the center of the Forum plaza where a fig-tree, olive-tree and grape-vine were cultivated; beside (or in) the ''Lacus Curtius'' *

Domus Aurea The Domus Aurea (Latin, "Golden House") was a vast landscaped complex built by the Emperor Nero largely on the Oppian Hill in the heart of ancient Rome after the great fire in 64 AD had destroyed a large part of the city.Roth (1993) It replac ...

("Golden House" of Nero), part of its porticoed entrance extended into the eastern Forum *Domus Publica ("State House"), official residence of the '' Pontifex Maximus'' near the Regia * Office of the Scribes and Heralds of the Aediles * Pool of Servilius (''Lacus Servilius''), near the

; Sulla displayed heads of executed Senators there * Rostra Diocletiani, in front of the

; on the opposite side of the Forum from the ''Rostra Augusti'' * Shrine of Faustina the Younger * Shrine of Vulcan (''Vulcanal'') * Shrine of Venus Cloacina (''Sacellum Cloacinae'') * Statua Marsyae ("Statue of

Marsyas In Greek mythology, the satyr Marsyas (; grc-gre, Μαρσύας) is a central figure in two stories involving music: in one, he picked up the double oboe ('' aulos'') that had been abandoned by Athena and played it; in the other, he challenged ...

"), the satyr depicted with wineskin over his left shoulder and raising his right arm; a symbol of liberty * Statue of Constantine the Great * Statue of Domitian * Statue of Tremulus * Statue of Vertumnus * Temple of Augustus *

Temple of Bacchus The Temple of Bacchus is part of the Baalbek temple complex located in the broad Al-biqā (Bekaa Valley), Lebanon. The temple complex is considered an outstanding archaeological and artistic site of Imperial Roman Architecture and was inscribed a ...

Temple of Concord The Temple of Concord ( la, Aedes Concordiae) in the ancient city of Rome refers to a series of shrines or temples dedicated to the Roman goddess Concordia, and erected at the western end of the Roman Forum. The earliest temple is believed t ...

* Temple of Janus * Temple of Jupiter Stator, either on the Forum or on the Palatine Hill *'' Tribunal Aurelium'' (Tribunal of Aurelius), near the Temple of Castor and Pollux * Tribunal of the City Praetor (''Praetor Urbanus'') * Tribunal of the Praetor for Foreigners (''Praetor Peregrinus'') * Well-head of Libo (''Puteal Libonus'' or ''Puteal Scribonianum'') *Statues of numerous other gods and men

Christian churches

* S. Maria Antiqua (6th century), oldest Christian monument in the Forum ** Oratory of the Forty Martyrs (6th or 7th century), attached to S. Maria Antiqua * SS. Cosmas and Damian (527), inside the "Temple of Romulus" * SS. Martina e Luca (625; current facade 1635-69) * SS. Sergio e Bacco (678; totally demolished by 1812) * S. Lorenzo de’ Speziali in Miranda (7th century; current facade 1602), inside the

* S. Adriano (7th century; baroque interior removed, 1935–38), formerly inside the

* S. Francesca Romana (10th century; current facade 1615), or Sta. Maria Nuova * S. Maria Liberatrice (13th century; New facade 1617; Demolished 1900) * S. Giuseppe dei Falegnami (1540)

References

{{Ancient Roman architecture lists

Monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

*Monuments

Forum Romanum