Study Abroad: Roman Forum & Imperial Forum

On Tuesday October 18th we toured the Roman Forum and on Tuesday Nov. 8th we toured the Imperial Forum and the inside of the Pantheon. Many of the ruins that can be seen in the Forum date from the Imperial Period from 27BCE to 476CE, although contributions to the Forum were made as early as 800BCE. Our professor showed us around the Forum and gave us a little history about the major monuments, arches, and basilicas that can be seen in the Forum. We ended up the day on top of Palatine Hill which overlooks the Colosseum and Circus Maximus. The Imperial Form and the Roman Forum are not the same thing, even though the are right across the street from each other. Julius Caesar was the first Emperor to construct monuments in the Imperial Forum. Mussolini also worked to restore the area in the middle of the 20th century. Some time after it was built a modern road was constructed right over the Forum and many of the ruins are still buried under the road.