Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
how the piazza is still a standard part of any Italian town. It has reflected and accommod-
ated the gregarious and outgoing nature of the Italian people since Roman times.
Stopatthebig,well-preserved brick building(onright)with thetriangular roof.Lookin
at...
The Curia (Senate House): The Curia was the most important political building in
the Forum. While the present building dates from A.D. 283, this was the site of Rome's offi-
cial center of government since the birth of the republic. (Ongoing archaeological work may
restrict access to the Curia, as well as the Arch of Septimius Severus—described later—and
the exit to Capitoline Hill.) Three hundred senators, elected by the citizens of Rome, met
here to debate and create the laws of the land. Their wooden seats once circled the building
in three tiers; the Senate president's podium sat at the far end. The marble floor is from an-
cient times. Listen to the echoes in this vast room—the acoustics are great.
Romeprideditselfonbeingarepublic.Earlyinthecity'shistory,itspeoplethrewoutthe
king and established rule by elected representatives. Each Roman citizen was free to speak
hismindandhaveasayinpublicpolicy.Evenwhenemperorsbecamethesupremeauthority,
the Senate was a power to be reckoned with. The Curia building is well-preserved, having
beenusedasachurchsinceearlyChristiantimes.Inthe1930s,itwasrestoredandopenedto
the public as a historic site. (Note: Although Julius Caesar was assassinated in “the Senate,”
it wasn't here—the Senate was temporarily meeting across town.)
A statue and two reliefs inside the Curia help build our mental image of the Forum. The
statue, made of porphyry marble in about A.D. 100 (with its head, arms, and feet now miss-
ing), was a tribute to an emperor, probably Hadrian or Trajan. The two relief panels may
have decorated the Rostrum. Those on the left show people (with big stone tablets) standing
in line to burn their debt records following a government amnesty. The other shows the dis-
tribution of grain (Rome's welfare system), some buildings in the background, and the latest
fashion in togas.
•GobackdowntheSenatestepsandfindthe10-foot-highwalljusttotheleftofthebigarch,
marked...
Rostrum(Rostri): NowherewasRomanfreedommoreapparentthanatthis“Speak-
er's Corner.” The Rostrum was a raised platform, 10 feet high and 80 feet long, decorated
with statues, columns, and the prows of ships (rostra).
On a stage like this, Rome's orators, great and small, tried to draw a crowd and sway
public opinion. Mark Antony rose to offer Caesar the laurel-leaf crown of kingship, which
Caesar publicly (and hypocritically) refused while privately becoming a dictator. Men such
as Cicero railed against the corruption and decadence that came with the city's newfound
wealth. In later years, daring citizens even spoke out against the emperors, reminding them
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