Forum Agustum

The Forum of Agustus, or Forum Agustum, was built under the rule of the Emperor Agustus (Favro). The construction for the forum began in 31 BC and was dedicated in 2 BC. The forum was quite large, measuring over a hectare (Stierlin). Its main attraction was the Temple of Mars Ultor. The Temple featured peripteral sine postico columns, meaning it had columns on three of its sides (Roma), and it was made of marble with decorations made of stucco (Stierlin). In the front, the temple featured an exedra full of statues of past great men of Rome to serve as judges and inspirations to the citizens of Rome. The exedra mimicked the niches people had in their houses, which were held miniature statue-type figures of their ancestors to encourage and inspire them in the same way. Augustus treated his forum like a house, and himself as a father to the people of Rome, which is why his exedra in front of the temple of Mars Ultor contained figures of his own ancestors going all the way back to Aeneas. It also had statues of Romulus and Julii, who was said to be an ancestor of Romulus and Remus, who were sons of Mars (Favro). Continuing the connection to his stepfather Caesar, Augustus built his forum right onto the Caesar's forum. The architect connected to Augustus was named Vitrivius, and became working exclusively for him in the late 20's BC (Favro). Today, the forum serves as a look at the relationship between Caesar and Augustus.

Drawing of the Temple of Mars Ultor when in use (Favro)

Photo of the Temple of Mars Ultor in ruins today

Abby Jackson