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(c. 10 A.D.), located on the Capitoline Hill.
The other great forum was Augustus' own. The Forum Augustum was a long, rectangular-shaped series of
structures that was first contemplated in 42 B.C. The design was originally to be symmetrical and enclosed,
thus realizing the concept of an entire series of buildings as a temple, isolated from the rest of the city.
Columns of marble were installed along with statues of prominent Roman figures, from Aeneas, the hero of
the Trojan War, to Julius Caesar. The column and statues imbued the Temple of Mars Ultor with color.
Mars' temple was in the Corinthian style, and his statue, sword in hand, dominated the
building. On either side were statues of Venus and the deified Julius Caesar.
Marble first came into extensive use in the Augustan Age, and the Corinthian style was the dominant
architectural form during the Empire.
TIBERIUS aided his adoptive father in the continued beautification of Rome, following the death of
Marcus Agrippa in 12 B.C. In 14 A.D., however, with his accession to the throne, the massive building
programs came to an end, although Tiberius did begin the TEMPLE OF DIVUS AUGUSTUS, on the
Capitoline Hill. More importantly, two structures were built that displayed the growing centralization of the
principate. A palace on the Capitoline replaced the old one of Augustus' era, with no expense spared. Then,
in 21-22 A.D., at the request of SEJANUS, the prefect of the Praetorian Guard, a permanent
barracks for the Guard was placed in the city.
GAIUS CALIGULA followed Tiberius' pattern. He dedicated the Temple of Divus Augustus in 37 A.D.
and made grand plans for the palace and a canal through the Isthmus of Corinth. He was killed, and
CLAUDIUS, his successor, was far too practical for such projects. Claudius's reign centered
architecturally on public building and civil engineering. Aqueducts were built, with fine examples of
arches and design, but nothing approached the grandeur or scale of Augustan art. The laudable
achievements of Augustus, noted by the famed architect VITRUVIUS and with their emphasis on
classicism, were no longer dominant.
Nero to Hadrian -
Nero's reign marked a significant change in Roman architecture. Marble faded as the
principal construction material, and the use of concrete returned. The DOMUS TRANSITORIA (c. 64
A.D.) was built to connect the various palaces, but was soon destroyed by the great fire of 64. As a result of
the conflagration, space was made for the creation of a new palace, the GOLDEN HOUSE. This
massive, sprawling complex of suites, parks and villas was Nero's lasting monument to the architecture of
the era and to his own excess.
Such unabashed opulence, among other excesses, helped to bring about Nero's downfall. The Flavians
gave the Romans a renewed commitment to sensible rule, and Vespasian went to considerable lengths to
placate the citizens of the city and the provinces. Two major architectural undertakings marked that
effort: the TEMPLE OF PEACE and the COLOSSEUM. The Temple of Peace was started in 71 A.D.
and completed in 75. Designed to commemorate Rome's victory over the Jews, the temple was also a
symbolic manifestation that authority and sobriety were once more in effect. The Colosseum was the
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