The Imperial Forum

The forum was the heart of Rome. As you can see, it was a very large area. It was the social, political, commercial center of the city and the empire. Hence, the emperor kept a look over what was going on.
The 1st three pictures are all taken from the terrace atop the Palatine where that picture in the Palatine Hill post was taken. I hope you can get a sense of the scale of the forum. In essence, the 1st and 2nd pictures are taken to the right and left. The 3rd plus the one in the Palatine post are taken looking across the forum.
The 4th picture is the Temple of Vesta where the Vestal Virgins kept the sacred flame alight 24/7. This was a symbol of Rome's protection and prosperity. The 5th picture is the House of the Vestal Virgins where the 6 of them lived for their 30 years of service.
The 6th picture is the tomb of Julius Caesar. This is where the people brought his body after he was murdered, much to the chagrin of the powers that be who plotted and executed his assassination.
The last picture is of the Roman Senate building. The is the Curia Julia, the 3rd curia building. This was begun in 44 BCE by Julius and finished by Agustus. The building is in better shape than most buildings of the period as this one was converted to a church and was protected and maintained.Read more