Description of the Forum during the Early Colonial Period

During the early colonial phase, the forum consisted of a rectangular square, measuring approximately 92 meters in length and 44 meters in width, paved with either compacted earth or stone. By the Hadrianic period, the forum had been upgraded to marble pavement from Luna, elevated by about 50–60 centimeters, and expanded beyond its earlier boundaries. To the north, a wall rose behind a portico that opened onto the decumanus (modern-day Via Tosinghi–Via della Nave). From the lateral streets (cardines), visitors ascended a few low stone steps to reach the portico, and from there, the elevated marble forum floor.

Heading south along the cardo maximus, one passed through a grand arch and, after roughly 35 meters, arrived at the forum. Within the square along the cardo maximus, there was likely a colonnade and additional buildings for housing statues and monuments, with further statues placed at the southern entrance. On the western side of the forum stood the Capitolium temple and a monumental exedra, which either blocked or narrowed the passage along the road.

The forum’s principal monumental entrances were clearly to the north and south. It likely measured about 61 meters in width, though its exact length is unknown. Nonetheless, marble pavement slabs were also discovered east of Via dei Cardinali, 111 meters east of the Capitolium, suggesting that the Hadrianic forum covered two insulae. Inside the square, monuments and porticoes extended along the course of the cardo maximus. Pedestrian access was strictly enforced, with carriages prohibited due to the surrounding steps.

Excavations from the 19th century show extensive use of the marble pavement, which was later repaired with slabs of various sizes (CORINTI 1976: n. 67). The precise timing of these repairs remains unknown, although some authors have speculated Byzantine origins (MIRANDOLA 1999: 67; WHICKAM 2006: 651; CHRISTIE 2006: 215), a theory unsupported by available sources (CANTINI 2007: 257; SCAMPOLI 2007a: 83, note 77).

Remarkably, the forum continued serving as a public and commercial space throughout the early Middle Ages, as indicated by 10th- and 11th-century documents calling it the mercatum regis or forum vetus. Even after the establishment of a new market in the 11th century, the forum retained its significance (MIRANDOLA 1999: 69).