THE GLORY OF ANCIENT ROME
The people of ancient Rome met and mixed at open market places called
forums. The most important of these, the Forum Romanum, or Roman
Forum, became the center of Roman government. The Roman Forum was filled
with many beautiful buildings, arches, and temples. There, lawmakers met
in the Curia, or Senate House. Court was held in the Basilica Julia.
And public records were kept in a building called the Tabularium.
The main street of Rome, the Via Sacra, or Sacred Way, crossed the
Roman Forum. Victorious generals marched their armies down this street,
through the Arch of Septimius Severus, and across the Forum.
After the fall of Rome, the buildings and monuments in the Roman Forum
gradually crumbled. In time, people called it the Cow Plain because it
looked so deserted. Hundreds of years later, the Italian government
began to clear away the rubble. Trees and gardens were planted to make
the ruins more attractive. Today, you can see some of the glory that was
ancient Rome—including what’s left of the Roman Forum.
