Monti in Roma in Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Latium, Rome, Italy — Central Italy (Tyrrhenian Coast)
Foro di Augusto (2 a.C.)
I Portici Laterali
⎯⎯⎯
Forum of Augustus (2 B.C.)
The Side Porticoes
Inscription.
La piazza del Foro di Augusto era flancheggiata sui due lati lunghi da portici, delimitati da colonne corinzie scanalate in marmo giallo antico (proveniente dall'attuale Tunisia). Le colonne sostenevano un alto attico decorato con statue delle Cariatidi, copie di quelle dell'Eretteo di Atene, alternate con grandi scudi marmorei al centro dei quali erano collocate teste di divinità. I portici avevano un ricco pavimento di marmi colorati e si aprivano ciascuno su una coppia di emicicli di 40 metri di diametro. L'addossamento dei Fori di Nerva (97 d.C.) e di Traiano (112-113 d.C.) provocò la distruzione della coppia più occidentale di emicicli e i portici del Foro di Augusto rimasero così con un solo emiciclo ciascuno. Questi spazi erano decorati da una galleria di statue raffiguranti personaggi famosi della storia di Roma (summi viri) e membri della Gens Iulia, alla quale lo stesso Augusto apparteneva. Gli emicicli ospitavano al loro interno i tribunali dei pretori (praetores). Nell'emiciclo a nord (sotto di voi) il "pretore urbano" giudicava le controversie tra cittadini romani mentre in quello opposto il "pretore peregrino" dirimeva le liti riguardanti gli stranieri (peregrini), cioè coloro che non avevano la cittadinanza romana. Il portico settentrionale era concluso da un ambiente decorato con grande ricchezza (di fronte a voi) detto "Aula del Colosso" poiché racchiudeva una statua colossale di Augusto (alta tra gli 11 e i 12 metri), posta a garanzia dell'equitá dei giudizi emessi dai magistrati nei vicini tribunali. Nel Museo dei Fori Imperiali si possono vedere diversi frammenti marmorei provenienti da questo parte del Foro di Augusto.
Didascalie
(Foto #1) Veduta ricostruttiva del Foro di Augusto (Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali)
(Foto #2) Veduta ricostruttiva dell'interno dell'emiciclo nord del Foro di Augusto con scena di tribunale (Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali)
On the two long sides the square of the Forum of Augustus was flanked by porticoes. The façade was decorated with fluted Corinthian columns made of Giallo Antico marble (coming from the modern day Tunisia). The columns supported an attic decorated with Caryatids modeled on those from the Erechtheum in Athens and alternating with large marble shields bearing heads of deities in the centre. The porticoes floors displayed rich colored marble patterns and each of them opened up to a pair of hemicycles with a diameter of 40 meters. The western pair of hemicycles were demolished during the construction of the Forum of Nerva (97 A.D.) and the Forum of Trajan (112-113 A.D.) so that the porticoes in the Forum of Augustus were left with only one hemicycle each. These spaces were furnished with a gallery of statues portraying famous men of Rome (summi vin) as well as members of the Iulia dynasty to which Augustus himself belonged. Trials would be held inside the hemicycles by the ancient Roman judges (praetores). In the northern hemicycle (below you) the praetor urbanus would preside over lawsuits involving Roman citizens while in the opposite hemicycle (south) the praetor peregrinus would take care of legal matters involving foreigners (peregrini) who did not have the Roman citizenship. The northern portico ended in a lavishly decorated room, the so-called "Hall of the Colossus" (in front of you). A colossal statue of Augustus (between 11 and 12 meters tall) was placed on a base in this hall as a symbol of the equality of justice administered by the judges in the nearby tribunals. Several marble fragments coming from this section of the Forum of Augustus are on display in the Museum of the Imperial Fora.
Captions
(Photo #1) Reconstructive view of the Forum of Augustus (Superintendency of Cultural Heritage for the City of Rome)
(Photo #2) Reconstructive view of the northern hemicycle of the Forum of Augustus with a scene of trial (Superintendency of Cultural Heritage for the City of Rome)
Erected by Roma and Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Anthropology & Archaeology.
Location. 41° 53.674′ N, 12° 29.173′ E. Marker is in Roma, Lazio (Latium, Rome), in Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale. It is in Monti. It is at the intersection of Via Alessandrina and Piazza del Grillo on Via Alessandrina. The marker is located along the pathway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Roma, Lazio 00184, Italy. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, the Schengen Area, a coastal Mediterranean country, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Byzantine Empire and specifically also the Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Foro di Traiano (112-113, d.C.) / Forum of Trajan (112-113 A.D.) (a few steps from this marker); Foro di Traiano (112-113 d.C.) / Forum of Trajan (112-113 A.D.) (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Foro di Augusto (2 a.C.) / Forum of Augustus (2 B.C.) (within shouting distance of this marker); Fori Imperiali/ The Imperial Fora (within shouting distance of this marker); I Fori Imperiali Dal Medioevo a Oggi / The Imperial Fora From the Middle Ages to the Present
(within shouting distance of this marker); Strutture Medievali e Moderne (XII-XX Secolo) / Medieval and Modern Structures (12th-20th Century) (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Foro di Traiano (112-113 d.C.) / Forum of Trajan (112-113 A.D.) (about 120 meters away); Foro di Cesare / Forum of Caesar (about 150 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Roma.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 9, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 116 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 10, 2025, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.



