{"id":35067,"date":"2025-08-09T17:53:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T15:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rome-roma.net\/boarium-forum-in-rome\/"},"modified":"2025-08-10T12:09:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T10:09:28","slug":"boarium-forum-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"site","link":"https:\/\/www.rome-roma.net\/en\/boarium-forum-in-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"Boarium Forum in Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Forum Boarium<\/strong>, located today on the famous Piazza della Bocca della Verit\u00e0, was one of the major economic centers of ancient Rome. Today, its remains attract visitors and archaeologists, offering a unique insight into Republican and Imperial Rome, as a site integrated into the religious and commercial topography of Rome.<\/p>\n

Remains and religious significance<\/h2>\n

The Forum Boarium houses remarkable monuments, among the best preserved from Republican Rome, highlighting the religious role of the site, connected to trade and navigation.
The Temple of Hercules Victor<\/strong>, often called the \u201cRound Temple,\u201d was long misidentified as the Temple of Vesta. It is one of the oldest surviving temples in Rome, dating from the 2nd century BC, with a circular plan. Because of its resemblance to the temple of the same name located in the Roman Forum, it was mistakenly attributed to Vesta.
Nearby, the Temple of Portunus<\/strong>, dedicated to the deity of the river port, is an example of Greco-Roman architecture also dating back to the 2nd century BC. Until the 19th century, it housed the church of Santa Maria Egiziaca, dedicated to a former courtesan and protector of women of ill repute.
On the other side of the square, towards the area known as the Velabrum<\/strong>, the Arch of Janus<\/strong> dates from the 4th century AD. Behind it, the Basilica of San Giorgio in Velabro, built in the 7th century, is adjacent to the ancient Arcus Argentariorum<\/strong>.
Also nearby are the Broken Bridge, the Tiber Island, and, towards the Capitoline Hill, the Forum Holitorium.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Boarium<\/a>
Forum Boarium with the round Temple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Arch<\/a>
Arch of Janus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Boarium<\/a>
Temple of Hercules Victor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Round<\/a>
Round Temple and Temple of Portunus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Portunus<\/a>
Portunus Temple<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n

History of the Forum Boarium<\/h2>\n

An ancient market near the port<\/h3>\n

Nestled between the Tiber, the Capitoline Hill, and the Aventine Hill, this market was located in a plain that was once marshy, the Velabrum<\/strong>, drained as early as the archaic period to allow its development.
In antiquity, the Forum Boarium was adjacent to Rome\u2019s first river port, the Portus Tiberinus<\/strong>, located at the western end of the city. It welcomed merchant ships supplying the cattle market of the Forum Boarium<\/strong> as well as the nearby Forum Holitorium<\/strong>, dedicated to the vegetable trade.
This market, already active in the Etruscan period (6th century BC), played a key role in the pre-Roman economy, particularly in the trade of cattle and salt, essential for food preservation.<\/p>\n

Development and infrastructure<\/h3>\n

The Forum Boarium was considerably expanded in the 2nd century BC to meet the needs of a Rome undergoing rapid demographic and territorial growth. A landmark bridge, the Pons Aemilius<\/strong>, was built in 179 BC to facilitate exchanges between the two banks of the Tiber, replacing a wooden bridge from the 3rd century BC.
Damaged several times, it was rebuilt in the Middle Ages before being partially destroyed by a flood in 1598. Its remains today form the Ponte Rotto<\/strong> (broken bridge<\/em>).
The Via Velabrum<\/strong>, linking the Forum Boarium to the Republican Forum<\/a>, reinforced the market\u2019s integration into the urban network.<\/p>\n

The port\u2019s activity declined with the expansion of the port of Ostia<\/a>, enlarged under Claudius<\/strong> and Trajan<\/strong> in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. <\/p>\n\n\n

Edifices of Boarium Forum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n