discovered leading up past the tablinum end of the atrium from
the Sacra Via to the Nova Via. In about the 4th century this road
appears to have been blocked up at the Nova Via end by a building
which adjoined the Atrium Vestae.
At the north-east corner of the Forum stood the arch of Q. Fabius Maximus, consul in 121 B.C. called Allobrogicus from his victory Arch of Fabius. over the Allobroges (Schol. on Cic., In Verr., Actio i. 7); Liv. Ep. lvi.; Plin. H.N. vii. 166). It marked the extreme, limit of the Forum in this direction (Cic. Pro Planc, 7, 17), as the rostra did at the other end. Remains of this arch were dug up and mostly destroyed in 1546, near the temple of Faustina; on one of the fragments then discovered was inscribed Q . FABIVS . Q . F . MAXSVMVS . AED . CVR . REST. (Dessau, Inscr. Lat. Sel., 43a). About twenty-five other fragments, were found in 1882.[1]
The temple of Faustina the elder stands at the east angle of the Forum, facing the later line of the Sacra Via. It is prostyle Temple of Faustina. hexastyle, and has monolithic columns of cipollino and a rich entablature of Greek marble, with graceful reliefs of griffins and candelabra on the frieze.[2] The walls are of massive peperino, once lined with marble. On the front is inscribed DIVO . ANTONINO . ET . DIVAE . FAVSTINAE . EX . S. C. This temple, built by Antoninus Pius in memory of his wife, who died in 141, was after his death dedicated also to him, and the first line was then added (Vita Ant. Pii, 6). In the Middle Ages it was consecrated as the church of S. Lorenzo in Miranda, and a great part of its cella has been destroyed. The front is now excavated to the original level. This temple is shown on the reverse of several coins of Antoninus Pius; some have the legend DEDICATIO . EDIS.
The space between the north-west end of the Forum and the Tabularium is occupied by a range of important buildings (see Temple of Concord. Plate VIII.). The chief of these is the temple of Concord concert (see Festus, ed. Müller, p. 347) shown on a fragment of the marble plan, founded by Camillus in 366 B.C. (Plut. Cam. 42), and restored by Opimius after the death of C. Gracchus (121 B.C.). It was afterwards rebuilt by Tiberius out of the spoils gained in Germany; it was rededicated by Tiberius in A.D. 10 in his own name and that of his brother Drusus (who had died in B.C. 9) [Suet. Tib. 20; Dio. Cass. lv. 25]. It is shown with unusual minuteness on the reverse of a first brass of Tiberius. The existing remains[3] are of the rebuilding by Tiberius, and show that it was unusual in plan, having a large cella much wider than its depth, and a very large projecting portico. Its construction is an interesting example of the Roman use of many different materials. The lower part of the walls was of massive tufa blocks, the upper part of the cella of travertine; and the inner low wall, which supported ranges of internal columns, was of mixed concrete, tufa and travertine. The whole was lined with marble, white outside, and rich oriental marbles inside (see fig. 4), which were also used for the pavement. The door-sill is made of enormous blocks of porta santa marble, in which a bronze caduceus (emblem of Mercury), was inlaid. Between the internal columns of the cella stood rows of statues; and the temple also contained a large collection of pictures, engraved gems, gold and silver plate, and other works of art; mostly the work of ancient Greek artists (see Plin. H.N. xxxiv. 19; xxxv. 36, 40, xxxvi. 67, xxxvii. 2). On the apex of the pediment was a group of three figures embracing; the tympanum was filled with sculpture; and statues were set in the open porch. Though now only the podium and the lower part of the cella wall exist, with foundations of the great flight of steps, many rich fragments both of the Corinthian entablature and of the internal caps and bases are preserved in the Tabularium; and some of the marble lining is still in situ. The Einsiedeln MS. gives part of the inscription of the front—S . P . Q . R . AEDEM . CONCORDIAE . VETVSTATE . COLLAPSAM . IN . MELIOREM . FACIEM . OPERE . ET . CVLTV . SPLENDIDIORE . RESTITVERVNT (C. I. L. vi. 89).[4]
The temple of Vespasian stands close by that of Concord, abutting on the Tabularium in a similar way, and blocking up a doorway Temple of Vespasian. at the foot of a long flight of steps (see fig. 1). It consists of a nearly square cella with prostyle hexastyle portico of the Corinthian order; three of the columns are still standing, with their rich entablature, the frieze of which is sculptured with sacred instruments. The walls are of enormous blocks of travertine with strong iron clamps; the whole was lined with white Pentelic marble outside, and inside with coloured oriental marbles. There was an internal range of columns, as in the temple of Concord. This temple was begun by Titus in A.D. 80, in honour of his father Vespasian, and finished by Domitian, who dedicated it to Vespasian and Titus. The inscription on the entablature, given in the Einsiedeln MS., records a restoration by Severus and Caracalla—DIVO . VESPASIANO . AVGVSTO . S . P . Q . R . IMPP . CAESS . SEVERVS . ET . ANTONINVS . PII . FELIC . AVGG . RESTITVERVNT; part of the last word only now exists.
In the narrow space between the temples of Concord and Vespasian (only about 7 ft. in width) a small brick and concrete edifice stands against the Tabularium. In it was found an inscribed base dedicated to Faustina the younger by one of the viatores (messengers) of the quaestors, who probably had their office here.
The next building is the Porticus Deorum Consentium, a colonnade in two wings which join at the obtuse angle, with a row of small Porticus Deorum Consentium. rooms or shrines partly cut into the tufa rock of the hill behind. This conjunction of twelve deities was of Etruscan origin; they were six of each sex and were called Senatus Deorum (Varro, L.L. viii. 70, and De Re Rust, i. 1).[5] The columns are of cipollino with Corinthian caps; on the frieze is an inscription recording a restoration by. Vettius Agorius Praetextatus, praefect of the city in A.D. 367. Under the marble platform is a row of seven small rooms, the brick facing of which is perhaps of the Flavian period.
The arch of Severus stands by the rostra, across the road on the north-east side of the Forum; the remains of the ancient travertine Arch of Severus. curb show that originally the road went along a rather different line, and was probably altered to make room for this great arch, which was accessible only by steps, and was not used for ordinary traffic. It was built in A.D. 203, after victories in Parthia, and was originally set up in honour of Severus and his two sons M. Aurelius Antoninus (Caracalla) and Geta. Caracalla, after murdering Geta, erased his name from all monuments to his honour in Rome. Representations of the arch on coins of Severus show that its attic was surmounted by a chariot of bronze drawn by six horses, in which stood Severus crowned by Victory; at the sides were statues of Caracalla and Geta, with an equestrian statue at each angle. The arch, except the base, which is of marble-lined travertine, is built of massive blocks of Pentelic marble, and has large crowded reliefs of victories in the East, showing much decadence from the best period of Roman art.
The central space of the Forum is paved with slabs of travertine, much patched at various dates; it appears to have been marked Central space of Forum. out into compartments with incised lines (see Plate VIII.), the use of which is not known. There are also square holes which probably held masts on which awnings could be spread. Numerous clamp-holes all over the paving show where statues and other ornaments once stood. The recorded number of these is very great, and they must once have thickly crowded a great part of the central area. Two short marble walls or plutei covered with reliefs, discovered in 1872, stand on the north side. The rough travertine plinth on which they have been set is evidently of late date. Each of these marble screens has (on the inside) reliefs of a fat bull, boar and ram, decked out with sacrificial wreaths and vittae—the suovetaurilia. On the outside are scenes in the life of Trajan: in both cases the emperor is speaking from the rostra. On one we also see him seated on a suggest us instituting a charity for destitute children in A.D. 101—a scene similar to one shown in one of his first brasses with the legend ALIM[ENTA] ITALIAE;[6] at the other end the emperor stands on the rostra, on which the two tiers of beaks are shown; he is addressing a crowd of citizens. In the background is shown the long line of arches of the Basilica Julia, with (on the left) what is probably the temple of Castor and the arch of Augustus. On the right are the statue of Marsyas and the sacred fig-tree.[7] On the other slab a crowd of officials are bringing tablets and piling them in a heap to be burnt. This records the remission by Trajan of some arrears of debt due to the imperial treasury (Auson. Grat. Act. 32). The background here represents again the Basilica Julia, with (on the right) the Ionic temple of Saturn and the Corinthian temple of Vespasian. Between them is an arch, which may be that of Tiberius.[8] On the left the
- ↑ Not. degli Scavi (1882), p. 225.
- ↑ This finely sculptured frieze is almost an exact copy of that on the temple of Apollo at Miletus.
- ↑ The size of the earlier and smaller temple is indicated by the rough blocks on the face of the wall of the Tabularium, close against which the temple stands. When the Tabularium was built it was not thought worth while to dress to a smooth face that part of its wall which was concealed by the then existing temple of Concord.
- ↑ Little is known of the Basilica Opimia, which probably adjoined the earlier temple of Concord, and the existing building appears also to have occupied the site of the Senaculum (see Festus, ed. Müller, p. 347). For various exciting scenes which took place in the temple of Concord and on its steps, see Cic. Phil. vii. 8; Sallust, Bell. Cat. 49. Another temple of Concord, built in 216 B.C., stood on the Capitoline Arx (Liv. xxii. 33, xxiii. 21); and a bronze aedicula of Concord in the Area Vulcani, which must have been close by the great temple. This was dedicated by Cn. Flavius, 305 B.C. (see Liv: ix. 46); according to Pliny (H.N. xxxiii. 19) it stood “in Graecostasi, quae tunc supra Comitium erat.” Both these were probably only small shrines.
- ↑ Twelve gilt statues are mentioned by Varro.
- ↑ Cohen, vol. ii. 303-5.
- ↑ This is not the ficus ruminalis in the Comitium, but another mentioned by Pliny (H.N. xv. 20) in the middle of the Forum.
- ↑ As it seems to be on a higher level, it may indicate the Tabularium.
