Space and Place: Forum Romanum

Being in the Forum Romanum today brought this experience to life. When first entering the forum, I didn’t initially know what I was looking at or where in the forum I was. I walked around alone for a bit and I recognized the Curia Julia from a far and saw the arch of Titus in the background. On my way back, I saw the remains of the Temple of Vesta and got to see for the first time the scale of it. It was a cool moment for me because when studying for the midterm, the temple was my assigned structure.

Once Dan gave us the official tour I began to notice the paths that would connect the buildings/structures. In my head an outline of where ancient Romans would have walked started to form. One end started very politically and grand with the Curia Julia and Temple of Saturn on one end. As we head down the paths we came to the Basilica Julia. In this portion of the forum, the structures began to take a more religious tone, as the next temple remains were for that of the Temple of Vesta. The tour eventually ended at the Arch of Titus, which I saw as a way of the ancients reaffirming their legacy and victories in battles.

I saw the Forum as being designed rather chaotically but in a way strategically. Most of the buildings were organized around buildings of similar functions. This created sections or areas for the early Romans to go within the forum. Overall I felt like an outsider in the forum, because although I was in it, I couldn’t really see it. The way it used to look, and the way the people navigated it, can only be imagined by me, so it doesn’t really feel as though I belong. I don’t think I felt like a stranger because I am familiar with the structures there but for the most part I knew I didn’t fit.