The Forum by Matthew

The Forum

by Matthew

Coming into the forum I felt like I sort of knew what to expect. From the Capitoline Museum, I had already seen a view from above of the forum. White marble columns and decimated reddish buildings stood surrounded by patches of grass. It’s sort of crazy looking at the places where people 2000 years ago would have gathered and heard speeches. I wonder if a millennia from now, Seattle will receive the treatment from humans of the future.

From the Museum View

I was wrong, however. When coming into the forum from the other direction, an entirely different feeling was brought upon me. I was first greeted by a massive dome that had been torn in half. It was a stark contrast to the engraved marble and dramatic architecture I was accustomed to like during the tours of Paestum or Hadrian’s Villa. It was mostly the size that struck me. Afterwards, I visited Caesar’s grave. When I imagine the grave of such an important figure, I would have imagined something like Napoleon’s grave: a massive complex with viewing ports from wherever. Instead, it was in the back of a wall, decorated with flowers and coins. I thought at that moment that it was so odd, that such a legendary person was buried so humbly.

Caesar’s Grave

Looking at the ruins

Apart from this, the ruins were truly beautiful. Being on a lower ground floor compared to modern Rome made imagining the Forum 2000 years ago all the more vivid as the dichotomy in leveling was obvious. When looking around. There was grand architecture everywhere, except the Curia which felt like an ordinary building.

Looking back, the forum is one of the places that I had the strongest memories about. Some parts felt much different than I had imagined, but not in the disappointing sense. Rather they were simply different creating surprise. Other parts, like the general look and aesthetic of the forum made me truly appreciate as both a Latin student and art enjoyer being able set foot on such legendary terrain. Thank you Magistra!