Forum Boarium

Forum Boarium

The Forum Boarium was the cattle market of ancient Rome and also the oldest forum. It is located between the Capitoline Hill, Palatine Hill, and Aventine Hill, in the flat area near the Tiber River, where the first bridge over the Tiber was built. The Forum Boarium served as Rome's main port and was once a bustling center of commerce.

The Forum Boarium was the site of the first gladiatorial games held in Rome in 264 BC (as a gift to the deceased during noble funeral rites). It was also a religious center, housing the Temple of Hercules Victor, the Temple of Portunus, and the “Great Altar of Hercules” from the 6th or 5th century BC.

Hercules Victor was the protector of olive trade. The temple is a circular structure surrounded by a Corinthian colonnade and was built in the 2nd century BC. It is the earliest surviving marble building in Rome and was officially designated as an ancient monument in 1935. The Temple of Portunus was built between 100 BC and 80 BC and is the city’s main temple dedicated to Portunus. This rectangular building features a portico with engaged columns on the sides, situated on a high podium and using the Ionic order, and it still looks very beautiful today.

Forum Boarium

Why go: The oldest forum in Rome

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Italy[Italy]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Lazio Region [Lazio Region]

City where the attraction is located: Rome [Rome]