|
|
 |
|
The Forum Romanum |
|
written
by eatonj / 09.01.2004 |
|
|
| |
Personal Observations |
| |
A realization that struck me rather hard midway through my research was that the Forum as we see it today is not actually a depiction of the living breathing Forum, but rather a jagged, pillaged slice of the Forum near the time of the downfall of the Empire. For the sake of truly understanding the functions of the Forum it is necessary to view it as an evolutionary entity and try to see how changes in the Forum were brought about naturally. Buildings were not simply plunked in the place where they are now, but rather new constructions were fit in between and around the old and fires were coveted as opportunities for makeovers. Also I feel that even many authors specializing in the subject make the mistake of lumping the places of interest in Forum together architecturally, functionally, and historically. However, in actuality comparing the Temple of Saturn, the Curia Julia, and the Arch of Septimius Severus as contemporaries to each other would be like comparing Westminster Palace in London to the brand new British Library; it is simply not correct without recognizing all that intervened during the interim. Conveying this evolution of the Forum was something I tried to portray in this paper, however had a very hard time with. I think this greatly has to do with a lack of knowledge as to what lied below and around what we see today. Hopefully such information will be gained as excavations continue and we put pieces together to form a more precise picture of how the Romans actually lived.
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
