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Public place or market-place in a Roman town. Many of the town’s main religious and administrative buildings were to be found there, such as the Basilica, curia and comitium (see Rome, ancient, §II, 1, (i), (b)). The arrangement of the forum and its buildings is one of the most distinctive elements of Roman urban planning (see Rome, ancient, §III, 2). It was usually placed at the intersection of two main streets, although the square itself was normally inaccessible to traffic. The Forum Romanum at Rome (see fig.; see also Rome, §V, 1) has its origins in the 7th century bc and developed throughout the Republican period until a systematic remodelling, begun by Julius Caesar in 54 bc, was completed by Augustus (reg 27 bc–ad 14). A series of Imperial fora (see Rome, §V, 2) were built north of the Forum Romanum. They comprised the ...

( Rome )

Circular domed temple erected on the Campus Martius between c. ad 118 and 125 (see fig. ). Preserved almost intact, it is a unique achievement in Roman architecture and one of the most celebrated buildings in all architectural history. It was converted into the church of S Maria ad Martyres in ad 609. Study of brick stamps and limited excavations in 1891–2 show that the whole structure was built by Hadrian. The inscription on the porch entablature stating that it was built by M. Agrippa refers to an earlier Pantheon under the present one, a dynastic monument to honour Augustus and the Julio-Claudian family. Despite the importance of the building, the only ancient reference to it is by Dio Cassius (early 3rd century ad), who mistook it for the earlier building of Agrippa and referred to the building as a temple dedicated to many gods (History of Rome...

( Rome )

Fourth-century basilica on the Via Urbana, which corresponds to the ancient street, the Vicus Patricius, on the Viminal Hill in Rome. It was built by Pope Pius I (reg c. 140–c. 155) in AD 145 over the former residence of the Roman senator Pudens, allegedly to honour St Peter who had stayed there sometime in the 1st century. The church was dedicated to St Pudentiana, daughter of Pudens. The early history of S Pudenziana is fragmentary, although there is evidence of clergy and a congregation on the site by the 4th century.

Significant building took place under Pope Siricius (reg 384–99); he reused part of the original bath complex, which forms the core of the present church. In the nave, seven arcades of Roman columns are part of the original structure. The apse mosaic dates from 390 and depicts an early figural representation of Christ. He sits on a throne flanked by apostles dressed as Roman Senators and personifications of Ecclesia and Synagoga. Above these figures is a jewelled cross flanked by the earliest known representations of the animal emblems of the Evangelists, and buildings representing Jerusalem and Golgotha....

Roman villa on a promontory on the coast of Latium, 121 km south of Rome, made famous by the discovery in September 1957 of a large number of fragmentary sculptures and other antiquities in a nearby cave. Although excavation initially concentrated on the grotto and its sculpture, research later focused on the villa itself.

The remains of the villa display several distinct building phases. It probably belonged to M. Aufidius Lurcone, grandfather of Livia, the wife of Augustus (reg 27 bc–ad 14) and mother of Tiberius (reg ad 14–37). The oldest sections are late Republican, given their use of opus incertum (concrete faced in irregular stones), while a second Republican phase has pavements in opus signinum (concrete with crushed tiles) and marble decoration. A total renovation and remodelling of the villa was undertaken during the late Augustan period, while fragments of several Fourth Style paintings (see...