Forum of Augustus
Although still not completed at the time of its dedication in
2 BCE, the Forum Augustum Forum of Augustus was to
become the quintessential statement of Augustus. Suetonius in his
life of Augustus (Suet., Augustus, 29) describes the
forum as follows:
Augustus built numerous public works, notably the
following--the forum with the temple of Mars the Avenger [vowed
at Philippi]....His reasons for building the Forum were to
increase in population and in the number of law suits, so that
the two existing fora (Forum of Julius Caesar and the Roman
Forum) were inadequate and a third seemed necessary. It was
therefore opened as an emergency before the temple of Mars was
complete, and was reserved for public prosectuions and for the
selection ofjury by lot. He had taken the vow for the temple of
Mars Ultor at the battle of Philippi to avenge his father: he
therefore decreed that in this Temple the Senate should discuss
questions of war and of granting of triumphs, that from it those
who were leaving to take up military commands in the provinces
would be ceremonially escorted and to it the returning conquerors
should bring tokens of their victories.
Images of the Forum of Augustus
© All photgraphs by C. Renaud
Overview of the Forum of Augustus
Temple of Mars Ultor
Forum of Augustus: Detail of Exedra
Base for colossal statue of Augustus; fragments of statue in foreground (knee) and on base.
