Roman Forum

The Roman Forum is the oldest part of the City of Rome.  Its ruins date all the way back to the second king, Numa Pompilius (715-673 BCE) who created the cult of Vesta.  The ruins of the Temple of Vesta are where my travel buddy and I started our full day tour.  With a guidebook in hand and a day pack filled with food, we were free to roam, read and ponder the mesmerizing Roman Empire for as long as we wanted.

It seemed appropriate to start with Vesta.  She was, after all, the goddess of the hearth, home and family of Romans.  Her presence was symbolized by an eternal flame and her priestesses, the Vestal Virgins, were devoted to her (and the emperor).  I found it interesting that they sat with the Emperor at the choicest box seats in the Colosseum.  All other women had to sit at the very top with the slaves!

The Forum was the center of Roman public life.  It is where triumphal processions marched through the streets and where public speeches and elections were held.  It is here where Marc Antony shouted, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears . . ." and the corpse of Julius Caesar was set on fire.

The ruins are incredible.  There are temples, basilicas, arches, monuments and official residences.  The Roman Forum was indeed a showcase of the Empire, meant to awe and inspire anyone who walked among its monuments.  There is travertine paving still visible that dates all the way back to Augustus. 

During the Middle Ages, after the empire collapsed, the Forum was abandoned and fell into ruin.  Many of its monuments were used for medieval fortifications.  My own favorite goddess,  Mother Earth,  played a part in her protection.  Over the centuries she covered the ruins with plants and mounds of dirt.  The Forum was not rediscovered until the 18th century and the process of recovery began.