Roman Forum (Latin: Forum Romanum) is located in Rome, Italy. The Forum was deemed to be the heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world and in all history, today it is a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archaeological excavations attracting millions of sightseers yearly.
Umbilicus Urbis Romae means ‘Navel of the City of Rome’, it was the symbolic centre of the city from which, and to which, all distances in Ancient Rome were measured. Originally covered in marble, the Umbilicus is now a forlorn-looking brick core.
A building in the south of Roman Forum has been turned to be a museum, displaying some artworks, mainly fresco, of the Byzantine Empire.
The third floor of the museum has a lookout, you can view the whole Roman Forum here.
Basilica Julia was a large, ornate, public building used for meetings and other official business during the Roman Empire. The ruins left are mostly foundations, floors, a small back corner wall with a few arches.
Temple of Saturn (Templum Saturni) was an ancient Roman temple to the god Saturn. Its ruins stand at the foot of the Capitoline Hill at the western end of the Roman Forum. The original dedication of the temple is traditionally dated to 497 BC.
Arch of Septimius Severus (Arcus Septimii Severi) at the northwest end of the Roman Forum is a white marble triumphal arch dedicated in 203 to commemorate the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons, Caracalla and Geta.
After the death of Septimius Severus, his sons Caracalla and Geta were initially joint emperors. However, Geta was assassinated by Caracalla in 212, all images of Geta were removed from the arch.
