After lunch, we continued sightseeing and went to Roman Forum. This area can get really hot during midday because there is no shade. Bring a bottle of water. You need it.
Rome lasted 1000 years from 500BC to 500AD. The first 500 years, it was the Roman Republic ruled by elected senators. The last 500 years, it was the Roman Empire ruled by emperors. Roman Forum was the center of Roman public life. Elections, public speeches, criminal trials, and commercial activities all happened here.
When you walk inside Roman Forum, looking north, there is the white marble Arch of Septimius Severus built in 203AD.
See the picture above. Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, which is the white building with statues on the top, sits in the background. The middle building with 3 columns is Temple of Vespasian and Titus built in 79AD. It is dedicated to Vespasian and his son, Titus. The building with 8 columns on the left is Temple of Saturn built in 497BC, which is a house of worship to god Saturn in Ancient Rome. It was used for treasury during the Roman Republic.
This plain building in the middle of the photo above is the Senate House. The construction began in 44BC under Julius Caesar. It was finished by Julius Caesar's successor Augustus in 29BC. The construction of the Senate House and the end of Roman Republic occurred simultaneously.
Looking south, there is Temple of Antoninus and Faustina built in 141AD. The temple was originally dedicated to Antoninus' deceased wife, Faustina. After Antoninus died, the temple was re-dedicated to Antoninus and Faustina together.
Roman Forum was full of tourists while we were there. Many structures only have a portion left such as few columns, thus you really have to use your imagination to visualize the full scale of it.
We went inside Temple of Romolo. Emperor Maxentius dedicated it to his son Valerius Romulus, who died in childhood in 309AD.
Temple of Vesta is near House of Vestal Virgins. The temple features a circular form, Corinthian columns, marbles and a cella.
The three column structure is Temple of Castor and Pollux built in 495BC. Castor and Pollux were the twin sons of Zeus. They are often identified as Germini.
We walked in the garden of House of Vestal Virgins. Vestal Virgins were taken away from their noble families to be priestesses when they were between 6 and 10 years old. They had high social status and financial security. They took a vow of chastity and served 30 years. Their service included keeping the sacred flame of Vesta burning in the temple. If the flame died out, they got whipped by the high priest. If they lost their virginity, they were burned alive. After finishing their duty, they were allowed to get married.
For some reason, the statues of Vestal Virgins are all headless except one. I had to take pictures of the only virgin with a head. She looks rather grumpy. It must be all the stress from her duty.
Arch of Titus built in 82AD stands near Palatine. Roman Emperor Domitian dedicated this arch to his older brother Titus. Arch of Titus is the inspiration for the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and many other triumphal arches built since the 16th century.
Next, we walked to Palatine. Palatine used to be where aristocrats and emperors lived during Ancient Rome. According to Roman mythology, the orphaned twin brothers, Romulus and Remus, were raised by the she-wolf on Palatine hill. Romulus later built a new city on the banks of River Tiber. The city got its name "Rome" from Romulus.
This area is too vast to walk when you are dead tired. We had been on our feet all day and probably suffered ruin fatigue. And it was drizzling. Therefore, JJ took some quick shots and we called it a day.
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