There is a very unique part of Roman history that you will want to visit between Palatine Hill and Capitoline Hill near Rome. The Forum Romanum or the Roman Forum, may be one of the most ambitious archaeological projects of all time. By way of background, long before the first century AD, this area known as the Roman Forum was the premier political and cultural hot bed for the Roman Empire.

It is hard to imagine that the original Roman Forum was under construction for 300 years but by the 7th century BC, it was central to everything important that happened in Roman culture. It finally reached a completed state under the reign of Julius Caesar’s son Octavian, in the early first Century AD.

Because the Roman Forum consisted of not one but a dozen temples, arches and other buildings, it earned the right to also be called by many “The Great Forum” or Forum Magnum. The location was originally marsh land that the designers drained and utilized to build an important cultural melting pot for social interaction, legal discussions, political discourse and religious activities for royalty and citizens of Rome alike.

After the infamous fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, the Roman Forum went into decay due to lack of upkeep. By the time the Middle Ages came along, farmers grazing their cattle on the site had little awareness of the significance of the site. It wasn’t until the Renaissance that historians discovered the Forum again. A project to restore and repair the Roman Forum was undertaken in the 18th century and that project is still active to this day.

Today if you did get to tour the restored parts of the Roman Forum, the greatness of those buildings would be evident in the vast assortment of buildings.

Archaeologists have lovingly rebuilt and repaved the streets, and removed the growth and debris that centuries of neglect have left there. The transformation is so profound that it is open to the public to tour even today. But if you plan a trip to see the Roman Forum, you will not be able to get to see it all in one day. But even if you can only allocate one morning to seeing the site, you will come away with a sense of awe at the glory of the Roman Empire that is evident in this restored site.

The concept of “thinking big” that was typical of Roman designers of public buildings is certainly on display in the Forum in the “Temple of Venus and Roma.” This vast temple which Emperor Hadrian designed and built is perched on a plateau with a perfect view of the Roman Colosseum.

Almost as amazing is the Temple of Concord. This temple is devoted to peace and upon its completion in the western quadrant of the Forum in 367 BC, it became a popular site for Roman citizens. At one time the Temple of Concord was rich with expensive statues adorned with gold and silver but even now it stands as a testimony to the power and prowess of the mighty Roman Empire.

There are dozens of other structures to explore in the Forum, including the Temples of Pollux, Saturn, Vepasian and Castor. When combined with the huge diversity of buildings, you can get a real feel for what the Roman architects and emperors wanted from this ambitious project. But the Forum is about so much more than just a collection of temples.

Many of the walkways are lined with arches, including the Arch of Septimus Severus and Titus. The Romans invented and perfected the arch, and no one has improved on that design for at least 1000 years.

Politicians of modern times still like to make speeches from The Rostra in the Roman Forum. If you take a moment on your visit to stand under the Rostra, you may feel time slip away and for a moment you are standing there in those ancient times. Another site not to miss is a shrine known as the Black Stone or the “Lapis Niger” because it is another example of the creative abilities of Roman architects. The Via Sacra shrine is also another example of their amazing abilities.

If you go to Rome and return having not seen the Roman Forum, your trip was incomplete. This amazing accomplishment is a striking example of the heights that man can reach when working together, and how quickly such genius can be lost if we are not careful.