Corner La Trin: Roman Forum

The Roman Forum was the old meeting place of the Romans. There were ruins of temples, political buildings, the Palantine Hill, a rooftop garden and housing. There was even the grave of the great Julius Caesar! The glaring sun burned throughout my back, and seemed to be piercing right through me. But the ruins of the Forum were truly ruins. Stones and bricks had been stolen by Romans so that they could build their houses. It was sad, but true. Now, only scattered remains of ancient walls and columns were visible on the overgrown courtyards. Well, it was a ruin that had been very important back in the time of the Roman Empire. So much to see!

In the 8th century BC, Rea Silvia, a Vestan priestess, destined to be a virgin for life, broke the oath and gave birth to twins, Romulus and Remus.
As a punishment, the king ordered his best soldier to go out into the forest to kill them. Unwilling to do so, the soldier took the twins to a pack of wolves, hoping that they would finish the job. However, the pack did not slaughter the twins. A she-wolf gave them her milk, raising them till they were old enough to take care of themselves. When they had become fully grown men, Romulus killed Remus because they disputed where each of them wanted to build a town which went on to become Rome. It expanded to an empire, from the east to the west. It ended with the barbarian attacks in the fifth century BC.

The temples were now barely anything but stones and broken columns scattered everywhere. The tomb of Julius Caesar, which used to be in a grand temple, was now in a tiny alcove under a little canopy. People threw flowers onto the tomb, and there were at least seven bunches thrown onto it right now. It was amazing.

We took lots of pictures on the dusty floor, before walking up to the Palantine Hill. A beautiful garden was located on the top, overlooking the eternal city of Rome. The Pantheon, the Colosseum, the houses, the streets, the people, all of Rome stretched out under my feet. Flowers and trees in the garden created beautiful overhangs and scenery. Colourful and lush plants were to be seen at every turn.

The rooms of the guards were at the base of the hill. Little rooms, carved out like caves, made of brick. It would be hard to be a guard. Very hard.

The ancient Forum had originally been a swamp. When the Romans decided to put their meeting place on it, it took years to dry it up. It was a very hard task. I wondered what it would be like to watch the process of draining a swamp and converting it into a magnificent forum. It would be very interesting to watch.

The Forum was such an old place, full of rich history. It would've been such a grand place all those centuries ago.

Roman Forum

Roman Forum

The Arch of Constantine

Where body of Julius Caesar was burnt

Standing on a piece of broken marble from Roman time

It's soooo hot and sunny...

I bought a book called 'Roman Then and Now' and some before/ after photos about Roman Forum I thought you might be interested:

Temple of the Divine Julius - Before