Roman Forum, Rome: History, Key Monuments and How to Visit

The Roman Forum fills the small valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills in the heart of Rome. For more than a thousand years it was the centre of Roman public life: senators debated here, orators spoke from the Rostra, generals paraded along the Via Sacra and citizens came to temples, law courts and markets. Today it is one of the great archaeological sites of the world, a field of columns, arches and foundations a short walk from the Colosseum.

History of the Roman Forum: from marsh to city centre

The valley began as marshy, low-lying ground. In the late seventh century BCE it was drained, and the Cloaca Maxima, Rome's great sewer, carried the water away to the Tiber. Paved and built up, the space became the meeting point of the growing city.

Some of its oldest structures go back to the age of the kings. The Regia, traditionally the royal residence, dates from the eighth century BCE, and the Temple of Vesta and the House of the Vestal Virgins have seventh-century origins. Under the Republic came the Temple of Saturn (traditionally 497 BCE), the Temple of Castor and Pollux (484 BCE) and the Basilica Aemilia (179 BCE). Julius Caesar rebuilt the Senate house and laid out the Basilica Julia, and Augustus dedicated the Temple of the Deified Caesar in 29 BCE.

The emperors kept adding monuments. By the end of the Republic the Forum was already too small for the administration of Rome, so later rulers built the Imperial Fora next door. Still, the old Forum remained the symbolic heart of the city. Its last monument, the Column of Phocas, was raised on 1 August 608 CE in honour of a Byzantine emperor.

Monuments to see in the Roman Forum

A first visit is easier with a short list of landmarks. These are the ones most visitors look for:

• Arch of Septimius Severus (203 CE). The great triple arch at the Capitoline end celebrates the emperor's victories over the Parthians.
• Curia Julia. The brick Senate house begun by Julius Caesar and rebuilt by Diocletian is one of the best-preserved buildings on the site.
• Temple of Saturn. Traditionally founded in 497 BCE, it was rebuilt by Munatius Plancus in 42 BCE and restored again under Diocletian.
• Temple of Vesta and the House of the Vestals. The round temple kept the sacred fire of Rome, tended by the Vestal Virgins who lived in the courtyard house beside it.
• Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. Begun by Antoninus Pius in 141 CE for his deified wife Faustina, it was rededicated to both after his death in 161. Its portico of monolithic Corinthian columns, about 17 metres tall and cut from marble of Karystos on the Greek island of Euboea, now fronts the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda.
• Basilica of Maxentius. Completed in 312 CE, its massive vaults on the Velian Hill show the scale of late Roman engineering.
• Arch of Titus (about 81 CE). Built by Domitian for his brother, it marks the victory in Judaea and the fall of Jerusalem; the inner reliefs show the triumph and the menorah carried as spoils.

Basilicas, temples and the Via Sacra

In ancient Rome a basilica was a civic hall, not a church. The Basilica Aemilia and Basilica Julia housed law courts, offices and shops, and their long rectangular plan was later adopted for Christian churches. Today they survive mostly as floors, column bases and outlines, so a site plan helps you picture their size.

The Via Sacra, the "Sacred Way", runs through the Forum from the Arch of Titus towards the Capitoline. Triumphal processions followed it, with victorious generals riding in chariots past the temples and the crowds. Walking its worn paving stones is the best way to link the main monuments.

The Forum after the fall of Rome

From the eighth century the Forum was slowly abandoned. Silt and debris buried the old paving, and the area became a pasture known as the Campo Vaccino, the "cattle field". Several buildings survived because they became churches: the Curia turned into Sant'Adriano, the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina into San Lorenzo in Miranda, and the Temple of Romulus into part of Santi Cosma e Damiano.

Others were less lucky. In the sixteenth century, builders working for Pope Paul III stripped stone and marble from the Forum for new projects, including St Peter's Basilica. The deep grooves on the columns of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina are thought to come from a medieval attempt to pull them down.

Clearing began in 1803 under Carlo Fea. Systematic excavation followed after Italian unification, and from 1898 the archaeologist Giacomo Boni led the digs until his death in 1925, uncovering the early layers of the Forum.

How to visit the Roman Forum: tickets and tips

The Forum belongs to the Parco archeologico del Colosseo, together with the Palatine Hill and the Colosseum. The main entrance is at Largo della Salara Vecchia 5/6, on Via dei Fori Imperiali. The nearest metro is Colosseo on Line B, and buses 51, 75, 81, 85, 87 and 118 stop nearby.

• Combined ticket: the standard Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine ticket is valid for 24 hours, with one entry to the Colosseum and one to the Forum–Palatine area.
• Forum Pass SUPER: covers the Roman Forum, Palatine, Imperial Fora and the SUPER sites, without the Colosseum.
• Full Experience tickets: valid for two consecutive days, adding the Colosseum arena, underground or upper levels.
• Free days: the first Sunday of each month, plus 25 April, 2 June and 4 November.

Tickets are personal, so bring an identity document. In winter (late October to the end of February) the Forum opens at 9:00 and closes at 16:30, with last entry at 15:30. Wear good shoes for the uneven ancient paving, carry water in summer, and plan two to three hours for the Forum and Palatine together. Climb up to the Palatine terraces at the end for a view over the whole valley.

For more ancient Italy, see our Matera guide and our Spello guide, with its Roman Villa of Mosaics. Further afield, our Jerash guide in Jordan explores one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities.

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