What are the Imperial Fora in Rome?

The Imperial Fora are a series of monumental public squares constructed in Rome over a period of one and a half centuries between 46 BC and 113 AD. Serving as centers for politics, religion, and economy during the Roman Empire, they expanded upon the older Roman Forum area. Today, the archaeological site faces modern challenges, notably from a major 20th-century road built directly across it.

What we know

• The Imperial Fora are a series of monumental public squares constructed in Rome over a period of one and a half centuries, between 46 BC and 113 AD, serving as the center of the Roman Empire. [1, 2]
• Julius Caesar was the first to build in this section of Rome and rearranged both the Forum and the Comitium to do so. [2, 4]
• These fora served as the centers of politics, religion, and economy in the ancient Roman Empire. [1, 2]
• During the early 20th century, Mussolini restored the Imperial Fora and built the Via dei Fori Imperiali across the middle of the site. [1, 2]

Still open

• Proposals have been made to remove the modern road dividing the site, but none have taken effect yet.

Where to go next

• compared withHow did the original Roman Forum function?
• the bigger pictureWhat features defined ancient Roman architecture?
• whoWho was Julius Caesar?
• what followedHow did Mussolini alter Rome's ancient sites?
• whereWhere are the Imperial Fora located in modern Rome?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a 20th-century dictator impact ancient Roman ruins?Mussolini restored the Imperial Fora to evoke past imperial glories, yet his construction of a heavy-traffic road directly across the middle caused ongoing damage from pollution and vibration.

Sources

• [1]Imperial fora (Wikidata Q216568) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Imperial fora · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Ancient Roman architecture · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Roman Forum · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Architecture of Rome · CC BY-SA 4.0