Constructed by Augustus and abutting the forum of Caesar, this forum was a little more ambitious, with two exedras at the sides. At one end stood the temple of Mars Ultor (still visible) which was vowed by the Emperor after the battle of Philippi. The forum was opened in 2 BC. Arches on either side of the temple were added in 17 AD by Tiberius in honour of the victories of Drusus & Germanicus, though these are now gone. The forum was restored by Hadrian after much of the official business from here had been transferred to the forum of Trajan. Augustus had statues erected here in memory of the great generals of Rome who had held triumphs and had their 'res gestae' or 'life's works' in bronze beneath them (a tradition continued by Domitian in the Forum of Nerva.)
Access: Visible freely at all times from Via Alessandrina.
The first of the Imperial Fora, the forum of Caesar begin with the buying of land as far back as 54 BC. Construction began in 51 BC and after the battle of Pharsalus, Caesar vowed a temple of Venus Genetrix, which was then constructed in the centre of the new forum. The forum was dedicated in 46 BC, though not actually until after Caesar's death finished by Augustus. As well as the temple and a portico, the forum had a statue of Caesar himself as a general. A huge statue of Tiberius was added after 23 AD and still later a statue of Drusilla. The temple was damaged in the 3rd century and restored by Diocletian.
Access: Visible freely at all times from Via dei Fori Imperiali
Known also as the Forum Transitorium, this long, rectangular forum was constructed to fill the gap between the Forums of Augustus and Vespasian. As such it is an odd shape, with one exedra of Augustus' forum butting out into the far end of this one. This forum was begun by Domitian, but completed after his death by Nerva in 97 AD. It served as a corridor between the fori on on either side (hence the name Transitorium) and at it's height was a long, beautiful and decorative hallway. As with earlier Fori that had been constructed with a temple at the centre, the Forum Transitorium was built with a temple of Minerva at the rear. According to the histories, Alexander Severus had statues placed along this forum of all the deified Emperors that had preceded him, with their 'res gestae' or 'life's works' in bronze next to them, echoing the additions to the forum of Augustus a century earlier. Though little remains of the Forum Transitorium, the fragment of decorated arcade that stands next to the road is impressive and beautiful.
Access: Visible freely at all times from Via dei Fori Imperiali
Begun in 71 AD and completed in 75, the forum of Peace was constructed by Vespasian. In the centre stood the temple of Peace, dedicated after the fall of Jerusalem. Abutting both the Forum of Caesar and the later Forum of Nerva and Basilica of Maxentius, this forum is rectangular in shape. It has only recently been brought to light in the last decade of excavations, though most of it still remains below roads and churches.
Access: Visible freely at all times from Via dei Fori Imperiali
Completed around 113 AD by the great architect Apollodorus of Damascus, this was the greatest and grandest forum constructed in Rome and also the last to be built. Unlike the earlier Imperial Fora, this forum was not designed as a single unit surrounding a temple. Instead, a large colonnaded square with an exedra on each side led from the forum of Augustus to the great Basilica Ulpia that crossed the new forum. This also had an exedra at each end. Behind the basilica was a library, neatly divided in two by Trajan's column, one side for Greek literature and the other for Latin. Behind these, to complete the forum was a great hemicycle where, after the Emperor's death, Hadrian constructed a temple to Trajan's memory. Other monuments added were a triumphal arch entrance at the end close to Augustus' forum and a great bronze equestrian statue. Though once the most marvellous of all the fori, these days Trajan's forum is badly preserved and somewhat confusing to make sense of.
Access: Visible freely at all times from Via dei Fori Imperiali.
Standing at the westernmost extent of the excavated portion of Trajan's forum is one of Rome's best known ancient monuments. The column stands intact and every bit the match for the monstrous 'Vittoriano' of the 19th century on the other side of the square. Erected in 113 AD at the same time as the forum within which it stands, this marble column stands 100 Roman feet high on a pedestal that adds at least another 20 feet. Constructed as an elaborate mausoleum for the Emperor, a burial chamber exists within the massive pedestal for the funerary urn, and a spiral staircase runs throughout the length of the shaft. The entire shaft is covered with a spiral freize that depicts the events of Trajan's campaigns in Dacia and is one of the prime sources of information on the equipment and tactics of the Imperial army of the second century. Copies of the freize exist in various places, including the Lateran Museum, St. Germain in Paris, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. At the top stands a figure of Saint Peter, placed there in 1588 and replacing a statue of the Emperor himself. The interior of the column is closed to access, though the exterior can be easily viewed. On the last two visits I have made, the pedestal and lowest courses of the freize have been hidden by scaffolding.
Access: Visible freely at all times from Via dei Fori Imperiali.
Construction on this massive complex was completed in 112 AD by the architect Apollodorus of Damascus. Abutting the north side of Trajan's forum, this hemicycle fitted around the huge apse of the forum and is considered colloquially to be the 'world's first shopping mall'. Built on five floors around the arc, the market held room for around 150 shops in small vaulted rooms facing onto corridors or onto the street. The market is typical of the high Imperial age, mixing function and form with beauty and decoration. It has been noted that after the creation of this market the sellers of the more base products such as fish, oil and vegetables moved out of the basilica in the forum and into this structure. One can only imagine it at its peak. The complex is immense and requires a good time to fully explore. It is one of the best preserved monuments of ancient Rome and clearly deserves a visit.
Access: Paid entry from the Via IV Novembre. At time of writing closed for restoration.
