Roman Forum

Our group met at the Roman Forum to explore the ruins. The Roman Forum is one of the most popular tourist attractions known in the world. The Roman Forum consists of many ruins dating back to the 6th century BC. The ruins once consisted of temples and places for emperors, and citizens to pray and to roam around.
The oldest existing groundwork that still stands today in the Roman Forum is the Temple of Saturn. I was unable to go inside of the Temple of Saturn but it was once used for a gathering place for holidays, such as Christmas! Two other architectural standings include the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Septimius Severus. These two large statues are dedicated to honor the victories Rome had in the Jewish War and the Parthian War. The Basilica of Constantine was one of Rome’s shelters for the courts dealing with laws.
Within the Roman Forum still stands the Mamertine Prison in which St. Peter was imprisoned. Deep within the prison in the underground cell was a mantle with a cross lying on the front of it. Not only was there a cross but the cross that lie on the front of the mantle was upside down. The story behind St. Peter is that he caused a spring in the cell which he then used the water to baptize his guards. And upside down cross symbolizes rejection of Jesus however St. Peter baptized his guards which is looked at as a positive way. St. Peter wanted to be crucified upside down because he felt he didn’t deserve to be crucified in the same way as Jesus did.
The Roman Forum plays such a huge and important part in Italy’s history. Roman Forum was home to many emperors, the laws and courts, and historical people such as Julius Caesar, St. Peter, and Mark Anthony. During my visit to the Forum, the ruins that were still standing were beautiful, standing tall and some still intact. There is so much history in the Roman Forum and it was great to be able to experience it and learning about it while living in Rome.


"Ancient Roman Forum, Roman Forums, Roman Forum History, Earthquakes in Roman Forums." Online Travel Guides of Travel Destinations - Las Vegas, Caribbean, Hawaii and Machu Picchu. Web. 18 Dec. 2009. .