Roman Forum

The camera stands at the railing on the Capitoline terrace, above the closed end of the Forum, which is the one place the whole thing lays out in order rather than as a field of fragments. Nearest and biggest are the eight grey Ionic columns of the Temple of Saturn, carrying a broken architrave with its inscription still legible across the front. Just left of them stands the Arch of Septimius Severus, white marble and almost intact. Past those the ground opens into the Forum floor: the grid of column stumps that was the Basilica Julia, the Via Sacra running through the middle of it, and at the far end the columned front of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina with a church built into it. On the skyline behind all of it, the Colosseum. Turn away from the railing and you are on an ordinary Roman street with cars, plane trees and a souvenir stand.

The Roman Forum is a reminder of the Roman Empire, a marvel of engineering and a testament to human achievement. Standing proud for 2,000 years, the plaza in the center of Rome remains one of the world's cultural treasures, in a category with the Great Wall of China, the Parthenon, and the Angkor Wat temple complex. One of the most sought-after sights in Rome, the Forum remains at the top of the list for most visitors. Now standing as ruins of temples, monuments, and other structures, the Forum still welcomes crowds. While standing on the plaza next to the arches and monuments, you almost see the crowds of watching a triumphal procession or rushing to the start of the next Senate meeting.

Even though the Roman Forum is a grand sight to see, it does lie in ruins. Over the past 2,000 years, the forces of time, wind, and weather have taken their toll on the forum, but yet it remains. As their empire stretched from the British Isles and European continent to North Africa and the Middle East, the Romans brought their wealth, skills, and influence with them. They built walls, roads, aqueducts, and other infrastructures, along with temples and auditoriums, everything needed for a civil society. As the Roman Empire fell and time marched on, the buildings wore down, but they were never forgotten.