DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.44944#0290
236 FORUM (ROMANUM S. MAGNUM)
interest in ancient monuments, though they were often sacrificed as
building material; and during the Renaissance this latter tendency
became much stronger, despite the general spread of classical culture.
In fact, the very architects who measured and drew the remains of
antiquity were most active in using them as quarries for their own build-
ings. But we also have numerous sketches by artists, which cannot be
enumerated here, but are of the highest value for our knoAvledge. A
few notable finds of inscriptions and fragments of architecture were made ;
but nothing was attempted in the way of scientific excavation until the
end of the eighteenth century, when a part of the basilica Iulia was
laid bare, but incorrectly identified.
In 1803 Fea began by clearing the arch of Severus, and the work
was continued by the French, the temples of Saturn and Vespasian
being isolated, and the column of Phocas cleared ; the temples of Castor
and Concord followed. The work was continued in 1827-36, and the
isolated excavations connected ; but very little more was done until
after 1870, when the work was taken in hand seriously (though at first
with too little regard to the late classical period, see LR 244-245), and
the forum and Sacra via cleared from the Tabularium to the arch of
Titus. Work stopped again in 1885, and was not resumed again until
1898, when extensive excavations were begun by Boni and carried to
the lowest strata at many points over the whole area. In this connection
a passage in LR 240, written in 1897, just before Boni’s excavations began,
should be quoted. ‘ It is necessary to remind the reader that the excava-
tions of the Forum and of the Palatine have nowhere been carried to the
proper depth. We have satisfied ourselves with laying bare the remains
of the late empire, without taking care to explore the earlier and deeper
strata.’ At the same time came the addition of the site of the basilica
Aemilia and of the comitium ; and the demolition of the church of
S. Maria Liberatrice rendered it possible to connect up the forum with
the Palatine, and to lay bare the lacus Iuturnae, the whole group of
S. Maria Antiqua, the horrea Agrippiana, etc.
The best guides to the voluminous literature of the forum, and to
its history through the ages are: Jord. i. 2. 155-429; cf. EE iii. 238-
248; LR 221-294; LS passim.
For the recent excavations, see Vaglieri in BC 1903, 3-239 ; Boni
in Atti 493-584—his reports in NS only deal with the temple of Vesta,
the Lacus Iuturnae, the Comitium, and the Sepulcretum (qq. v.) ;
cf. also CR 1899-1906 passim—CQ 1908, 142-150 ; Thedenat, Forum
Romanum (ed. 4, 1908) ; Htilsen, Forum Romanum, tr. Carter (ed. 2,
1909), and Nachtrag, Rome, 1910 ; Forum und Palatin, Berlin, 1926
(English edition, New York, 1928); and in Mitt. 1902, 1-97; 1905, H19;
De Ruggiero, Foro Romano, Rome, 1913; RE Suppl. iv. 461-511.
For the forum in Christian times see Leclercq in Cabrol, Diet. v. 1997·
2065. For a restoration, see D’Esp. Mon. ii. 84-86.
interest in ancient monuments, though they were often sacrificed as
building material; and during the Renaissance this latter tendency
became much stronger, despite the general spread of classical culture.
In fact, the very architects who measured and drew the remains of
antiquity were most active in using them as quarries for their own build-
ings. But we also have numerous sketches by artists, which cannot be
enumerated here, but are of the highest value for our knoAvledge. A
few notable finds of inscriptions and fragments of architecture were made ;
but nothing was attempted in the way of scientific excavation until the
end of the eighteenth century, when a part of the basilica Iulia was
laid bare, but incorrectly identified.
In 1803 Fea began by clearing the arch of Severus, and the work
was continued by the French, the temples of Saturn and Vespasian
being isolated, and the column of Phocas cleared ; the temples of Castor
and Concord followed. The work was continued in 1827-36, and the
isolated excavations connected ; but very little more was done until
after 1870, when the work was taken in hand seriously (though at first
with too little regard to the late classical period, see LR 244-245), and
the forum and Sacra via cleared from the Tabularium to the arch of
Titus. Work stopped again in 1885, and was not resumed again until
1898, when extensive excavations were begun by Boni and carried to
the lowest strata at many points over the whole area. In this connection
a passage in LR 240, written in 1897, just before Boni’s excavations began,
should be quoted. ‘ It is necessary to remind the reader that the excava-
tions of the Forum and of the Palatine have nowhere been carried to the
proper depth. We have satisfied ourselves with laying bare the remains
of the late empire, without taking care to explore the earlier and deeper
strata.’ At the same time came the addition of the site of the basilica
Aemilia and of the comitium ; and the demolition of the church of
S. Maria Liberatrice rendered it possible to connect up the forum with
the Palatine, and to lay bare the lacus Iuturnae, the whole group of
S. Maria Antiqua, the horrea Agrippiana, etc.
The best guides to the voluminous literature of the forum, and to
its history through the ages are: Jord. i. 2. 155-429; cf. EE iii. 238-
248; LR 221-294; LS passim.
For the recent excavations, see Vaglieri in BC 1903, 3-239 ; Boni
in Atti 493-584—his reports in NS only deal with the temple of Vesta,
the Lacus Iuturnae, the Comitium, and the Sepulcretum (qq. v.) ;
cf. also CR 1899-1906 passim—CQ 1908, 142-150 ; Thedenat, Forum
Romanum (ed. 4, 1908) ; Htilsen, Forum Romanum, tr. Carter (ed. 2,
1909), and Nachtrag, Rome, 1910 ; Forum und Palatin, Berlin, 1926
(English edition, New York, 1928); and in Mitt. 1902, 1-97; 1905, H19;
De Ruggiero, Foro Romano, Rome, 1913; RE Suppl. iv. 461-511.
For the forum in Christian times see Leclercq in Cabrol, Diet. v. 1997·
2065. For a restoration, see D’Esp. Mon. ii. 84-86.