From the Porta Marina gate, Via Marina climbs up steeply towards the Forum which was the main square in Pompeii and was reserved exclusively for pedestrians as all vehicles were forbidden entry. This was the very heart of Pompeii's daily life and housed the most important municipal, religious and commercial buildings in the town, in addition to being the intersection of the main streets.
Around the Forum we find the town's most important temples, the public offices where the administrative authorities governed the town, as well as legal offices and a few markets. There were no private houses at all.
Before illustrating each of these it is worth describing the actual space the Forum occupies. The forum runs north-south for 142 metres and is 38 metres wide. As it had always been the seat of political and religious power, its buildings were frequently modified to reflect new construction techniques or fashions, cultural and political influences and also changes in cult worship.
The architecture in the Forum was characterized by a colonnade on three sides while the fourth side provided an uninterrupted view of the Temple of Jupiter. It was paved with travertine stone slabs, only a few traces of which now remain. Originally the colonnade consisted of a double order of Nuceria tuff-stone columns with Doric columns in the lower order and Ionic columns in the upper one. A few remains of these can be seen in the southern part of the Forum, while the western part preserves traces of the stairs leading up to the open gallery.
The travertine stone colonnade was started in the Julio-Claudian age but was never completed. The bases of numerous statues are visible in the Forum. On these stood equestrian statues of emperors and influential citizens of the town and include the Suggestum, which was used for speaking to the townspeople. However, not a single statue was ever found.
After the earthquake of 62 A.D. the Forum became a huge building site to repair the damage it had suffered and all the statues were transferred elsewhere. Moreover, it is thought that the Forum, like other parts of the town, was stripped of its marble and even its floor immediately after the eruption of 79 A.D.
On either side of the Temple of Jupiter the Forum was closed by two arches topped with equestrian statues. The arch on the right-hand side is thought to be dedicated to Nero.
From the Porta Marina gate, Via Marina climbs up steeply towards the Forum which was the main square in Pompeii and was reserved exclusively for pedestrians as all vehicles were forbidden entry. This was the very heart of Pompeii's daily life and housed the most important municipal, religious and commercial buildings in the town, in addition to being the intersection of the main streets.
Around the Forum we find the town's most important temples, the public offices where the administrative authorities governed the town, as well as legal offices and a few markets. There were no private houses at all.
Before illustrating each of these it is worth describing the actual space the Forum occupies. The forum runs north-south for 142 metres and is 38 metres wide. As it had always been the seat of political and religious power, its buildings were frequently modified to reflect new construction techniques or fashions, cultural and political influences and also changes in cult worship.
The architecture in the Forum was characterized by a colonnade on three sides while the fourth side provided an uninterrupted view of the Temple of Jupiter. It was paved with travertine stone slabs, only a few traces of which now remain. Originally the colonnade consisted of a double order of Nuceria tuff-stone columns with Doric columns in the lower order and Ionic columns in the upper one. A few remains of these can be seen in the southern part of the Forum, while the western part preserves traces of the stairs leading up to the open gallery.
The travertine stone colonnade was started in the Julio-Claudian age but was never completed. The bases of numerous statues are visible in the Forum. On these stood equestrian statues of emperors and influential citizens of the town and include the Suggestum, which was used for speaking to the townspeople. However, not a single statue was ever found.
After the earthquake of 62 A.D. the Forum became a huge building site to repair the damage it had suffered and all the statues were transferred elsewhere. Moreover, it is thought that the Forum, like other parts of the town, was stripped of its marble and even its floor immediately after the eruption of 79 A.D.
On either side of the Temple of Jupiter the Forum was closed by two arches topped with equestrian statues. The arch on the right-hand side is thought to be dedicated to Nero.
Gallery 9