What are the interesting facts about the Roman Forum

Rome is an elegant smorgasbord of ancient history, ornate architecture, lavish style and sumptuous gastronomy.

Whether you’re doing the full tourist experience, complete with visits to the Colosseum and Vatican, or just people watching at a stylish cafe, Rome is a city that never fails to enchant the senses!

Whilst the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Vatican are the main drawcards of The Eternal City, many tourists also delight in checking out the Roman Forum – the center of governance in Ancient Rome.

The plaza is stunning, consisting of decaying structures that served as the backdrop for triumphal processions, speeches, elections, trials and even some gladiatorial fights!

Naturally, with so much going on in one space, some pretty interesting facts have arisen about this ancient wonder…

1. It is the location of the tomb of Romulus

Mystery shrouds the life of Romulus, founder of Rome, and so much so that historians can’t really decide on whether he existed at all! One thing is for sure, and that’s the belief that he founded the legendary city after killing his twin brother Remus, before being murdered by the Senate. The Lapis Niger, a mass of black marble, marks either his grave or the spot where he met his bloody end…

2. It was the site of Julius Caesar’s cremation

Julius Caesar met a similar fate to Romulus, having been stabbed to death by the Senate, who believed he was taking his power a bit too far. That didn’t stop him from receiving a grand temple in the Forum, however, but this wasn’t the place of his burial – it was the place of his cremation. The crumbling Temple of Caesar is still visible, and you can very much get a feel of what it was like in those days surrounding the bloody Ides of March in 44 BC.

3. It was built on a sewage system

Construction of the Roman Forum would have been impossible if not for the Roman peoples’ engineering ingenuity. The site of the Roman Forum had, at one stage, been a low-lying wetlands, making construction on the site a previously unthinkable achievement.

However, with the construction of the Cloaca Maxima, the Romans were able to build the center of the empire. The sewage system still empties into the Tiber today, showing just how advanced the system was for the time!

Related article: Top Things to do in Rome