Roman Forum

View from the bell tower St. Anastasia
​Roman Forum

​The forum was situated at the intersection of the main longitudinal and the main crosswise street following the grid plan. There was an open paved square in its centre, which was enclosed from north, east and south by a two-storey portico. The capitolium, enclosed by a peribolus, was on the western side and the temple dedicated to the Capitoline Triad Jupiter, Juno and Minerva was erected in its centre. On the open pavement of the forum two massive votive columns arose in the immediate vicinity of the capitolium , one of which has been preservedto date in its original place.
  The tabernae, rectangular spaces for merchants, were built along the outer eastern and northern side of the portico. The municipal basilica, the centre of political and public life, was an elongated rectangular with semicircular exedrae on the western and eastern end. It was situated along nearly the entire southern portico.