Forum of Caesar

TheForum of Caesar, also known by theLatin Forum Iulium or Forum Julium, Forum Caesaris,^[1] was aforum built byJulius Caesar near theForum Romanum in Rome in 46 BC.

Forum of Caesar/Forum Iulium
History
The Forum of Caesar and the Temple of Venus Genetrix
Forum of Caesar Shown within Augustan Rome
Click on the map for a fullscreen view
Location	Regio VIII Forum Romanum
Coordinates	41°53′38.44″N12°29′5.78″E / 41.8940111°N 12.4849389°E /41.8940111; 12.4849389
Type	Imperial fora
Builder	Gaius Julius Caesar
Founded	46 BC

Construction

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Caesar decided to construct a forum bearing his name in the northeast section of the Forum Romanum, and purchased some very expensive parcels of land in that area (the final cost was said to be 100,000,000sesterces).^[2]^[3] Forum construction began probably in 51 BC, althoughCicero andGaius Oppius were entrusted with purchasing the parcels of land on Caesar's behalf as early as 54 BC.^[2] On the eve of theBattle of Pharsalus in 48, Caesar vowed a temple toVenus Victrix, the legendary progenitor of his own clan, thegens Iulia.^[4] This original dedication was done because she was Pompey's favourite goddess, and Caesar hoped to gain the goddess's favour before the battle against Pompey.^{[citation needed]}

The forum measured 160 x 75 m, stretching from theArgiletum on the southeast side of the Forum Romanum to theAtrium Libertatis.^[1]^[5] On completion in 46 BC it was dedicated to Caesar and his deeds. As part of the dedication, lavish games were funded by Caesar, indicating the staggering cost and thus the personal interest that Caesar had invested in the project.

Some believe thatAugustus furnished the west side with the shops and offices therefore being the one to see its completion.^[6]

Purpose

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Plan of the Forum of Caesar

The Forum of Caesar originally meant an expansion of the Forum Romanum. The Forum, however, evolved so that it served two additional purposes. As Caesar became more and more involved in this project, the Forum became a place for public business that was related to the Senate in addition to a shrine for Caesar himself as well asVenus Genetrix.

Before his assassination, Caesar would have the Senate meet him before his temple, an act deemed very unpopular by the Senate. The Forum of Caesar also had an effect on theCuria, which Caesar began to reconstruct in 44 BC. This reconstruction moved the Forum of Caesar much closer to the Curia. The ten tabernae located on the western side of the Forum and its now close approximation to the Senate house symbolized the unity that Caesar felt between himself and the Senate.

Caesar also placed a statue of his favourite horse in front of the temple. Following his assassination, a statue of Caesar riding this horse was added. Caesar (gens Julia) claimed descent fromVenus through his ancestorJulus. TheTemple of Venus Genetrix was completed after Caesar's assassination by Roman senators, which included lavish games in reference to Caesar's original dedication of the Forum.The temple was re-built after the removal of the gap between theCapitoline Hill and theQuirinal Hill, under the reigns ofDomitian andTrajan; during the adaptation of the gap, a second floor oftabernae was created behind the west portico of the square and a building with pillars made of tuff blocks, namedBasilica Argentaria, was erected. The new temple was inaugurated in the same day as theTrajan's Column, on May 12, 113, as attested by an inscription in theFasti Ostienses.^[7]

Art

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In the plaza of the forum, Caesar allowed a statue of himself wearing acuirass to be set up, and also set up an equestrian statue of himself seated on a horse with feet carved like those of a human, according toPliny the Elder.^[2]^[8] In the time ofHadrian, and perhaps earlier, a fountain with three basins connected by low walls was set in front of the temple, with a statue of the EmpressVibia Sabina placed on a base adjacent to it.^[4]

The Temple of Venus Genetrix contained an important collection of statues, paintings and engravings. The cult statue of Venus Genetrix was sculpted byArcesilaüs.^[2] A gilded statue ofCleopatra VII was erected, setting a precedent for dedications to notable women in the precinct. Paintings in the forum included one ofMedea, mythological Greek heroine ofEuripides' playMedea, as well as one ofAjax, mythological Greek hero ofSophocles'Ajax, done byTimomachus. Perhaps more personal to Caesar were six collections ofengraved gems. These surpassed in number the collection ofMithridates dedicated by Caesar's rivalPompey. It is not known where or how Caesar obtained these six collections.

Cassius Dio stated that Augustus also deposited a statue of Caesar with a star above his head in the temple, although some scholars believe this was confused with theTemple of Divus Julius in the Forum Romanum.^[2] Dio also stated thatCaligula added a statue of his sisterDrusilla inside the temple after her death.^[9] In the plaza, a statue ofTiberius was set up by fourteen cities ofAsia Minor to honor the relief he sent them after earthquakes in 17 and 23 A.D.^[2]

Reconstruction

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Forum of Caesar and the Temple of Venus Genetrix, with theVictor Emmanuel II Monument in the background

Following the reigns of Caesar and Augustus, a total reconstruction of the Forum took place, headed by theRoman Emperor Domitian. Why this reconstruction occurred is not exactly known. Under the reign ofTitus, a massive fire ravaged the city in AD 80, including the Forum Romanum. The Forum of Caesar was not rebuilt until AD 95, however, indicating that perhaps Domitian had a personal interest in the reconstruction. This could be seen in the separation of the Curia from the Forum, symbolizing a reversal of Caesar's wish to have the Senate closely connected with him. Not much senatorial business took place in the Forum afterwards, except for thesecretarium senatus in the 4th century.Diocletian restored the forum after a fire in 283 A.D.^[2]

In the sixteenth century, excavations unearthed the travertine and tufa foundations of the Temple of Venus Genetrix, as well as remains of columns and frieze.Andrea Palladio andAntonio Labacco made illustrations of these remains,peripteral octastyle in design.^[2]

In late May 2006, a team of archaeologists under the direction of Anna de Santis and Paola Catalano^[10] unearthed an inhumation tomb dating from the 10th century BC in the Forum of Caesar, in comparison to the previous five cremation tombs unearthed there from July 1999 to April 2006.^[11]

References

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^^a ^bHornblower, Simon and Antony Spawforth.The Oxford Classical Dictionary. 3d Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^hPlatner & Ashby (1929).A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Oxford University Press. pp. 225–227.
^D.R. Shackleton-Bailey.Cicero's Letters to Atticus. Vol. II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965. 199. (Cicero, Letters to Atticus 4.17/16.8)
^^a ^bLawrence Richardson (1992).A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 166.
^Roth, Leland M. (1993).Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History and Meaning (First ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press. p. 219.ISBN 0-06-430158-3.
^Anderson, Jr., James C.The Historical Topography of the Imperial Fora. New York: Johnson Reprint Corporation, 1984.
^CILXIV, 4543.
^Pliny,Natural History VIII.155
^Dio, LIX.11.2-3
^Filippi, M.G. (3 May 2006).Il Messaggero: 35.{{cite journal}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)
^Meneghini, R. (2007). "L'area dei Fori dalla Preistoria alla tarda età repubblicana". In R. Meneghini and R. Santangeli Valenzani (ed.).I fori imperiali - Gli scavi del Comune di Roma. Rome: Viviani. pp. 18–21.