Forum: 7th century BCE-7th century CE; Temple of Vesta: ca. 200 CE
Description
The Temple of Vesta was the most sacred shrine in the Imperial city. This round temple (tholos) was dedicated to Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. The heavily restored remains of the temple stand between the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Temple of Caesar, the Regia, and the House of the Vestal Virgins. The current temple dates from ca. 200 CE.
The circular cella was surrounded by twenty Corinthian columns and rested on a marble-covered podium in opus caementicium (roman concrete) with a 15 meter diameter. The cella housed the sacred hearth where the Vestal Virgins kept the eternal fire burning. The temple was partially rebuilt in 1930 using ancient fragments.
The Forum Romanum was the political and economic center of Rome during the Republic_access; it held many of the central political, religious and judicial buildings in Rome. It is located in a valley between Capitoline Hill on the west, Palatine Hill on the south, the Velia on the east, and Quirinal Hill and the Esquiline Hill to the north.
The Archivision Collection of Ancient Sites was funded by the Jack Martin Balcer Library Endowment.
Keywords: Italy, Roma, Rome, Roman Forum, Foro Romano, Aedes Vesta, Mediterranean. Photographed by Scott Gilchrist, Archivision.
