Forum of Augustus

Forum of Augustus

Forum Augusti ( Latin Forum Augusti ) is the second of the five imperial forums in Rome (125 m long and 118 m wide).

The forum was built by order of the emperor Octavian Augustus . The most important building of the forum was the temple dedicated to Mars Avenger ( lat. Mars Ultor ); consecrated in 2 BC e. The temple was built of Carrara marble and was similar in plan to the Venus Genetrix temple on the forum of Julius Caesar ; in the center was a statue of Mars, surrounded by statues of Venus and deified Caesar. Also, Caesar's sword and the banner of the defeated Parthians were kept there.

The forum served to praise the emperor, who restored the old traditions. For this purpose, statues of Aeneas carrying his father on his shoulders and Romulus, according to the legend of the son of Mars, as well as statues of important husbands of the republic ( summi viri ) were exhibited in semicircular niches ( exedras ). On the pedestal of each statue was displayed information about the life and deeds of this person ( Elogium ). In the center of the square in front of the temple was a statue of Augustus on a chariot.

To date, only part of the Augustus forum has survived: several columns of the temple and a staircase; a collection of artifacts, as well as part of a semicircular niche (exedra) from the Forum of Augustus, are in the Casa dei Cavalieri di Rodi ( House of the Knights of Rhodes ). Under Mussolini, the front of the forum was rebuilt in Via dei Fori Imperiali ; archaeological research was not carried out.