Forum of Augustus

Built by Augustus and inaugurated in 2 BC, this forum was a deeply personal monument: it celebrated his victory at Philippi over the assassins of his adoptive father Julius Caesar, and centred on the Temple of Mars Ultor — Mars 'the Avenger.' The forum's high precinct walls (still standing) were partly designed to protect the area from fires in the densely populated Suburra district. In summer, the Imperial Fora host spectacular evening multimedia projections that recreate the original architecture in coloured light.