Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum. For centuries the Forum was the center of day-to-day life in Rome: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial affairs. Here statues and monuments commemorated the city's great men. The teeming heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history.

Many of the oldest and most important structures of the ancient city were located on or near the Forum. The Roman Kingdom's earliest shrines and temples were located on the south-eastern edge.

Other archaic period shrines to the north-west, such as the Umbilicus Urbis and the Vulcanal (Shrine of Vulcan), developed into the Republic's formal Comitium (assembly area). This is where the Senate—as well as Republican government itself—began. The Senate House, government offices, tribunals, temples, memorials and statues gradually cluttered the area.

circa 900/700 BCE- 400 CE

Antiquity
The History of the Roman Forum is a fascinating journey through the epochs of ancient Rome, reflecting the city's political, religious, and cultural evolution. Originating in the ninth to seventh century BCE as a marshy valley between the Palatine hill to the south and Capitoline hill to the north and Esquiline hill to the east, the Forum Romanum emerged as the nucleus of Roman life during the Roman Republic (509–27 BCE). In this early period, it served as a marketplace, civic center, and gathering place for public events. The development of important structures, including the Comitium, the Rostra, and the Basilica Aemilia, marked the Forum's transformation into a bustling hub of political discourse and civic activities. The Roman Republic's tumultuous years, marked by expansion, wars, and the rise of influential statesmen, saw the Forum witness the impassioned speeches of orators like Cicero and the political assemblies that shaped Rome's destiny.

With the advent of the Roman Empire in the first century BCE, the Roman Forum entered a new era of architectural grandeur and imperial prominence which spanned a long and grand construction and expansion activity. The triumvirates and the ascent of Augustus inaugurated a period of monumental construction, including the construction of the Temple of Caesar, the Arch of Augustus, and the Temple of Divus Julius. Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, sought to enhance the Forum's grandeur as a testament to the glory of the Roman state. Throughout the Imperial period, from the Julio-Claudian dynasty to the Severan dynasty, emperors continued to leave their mark on the Forum with monumental structures like the Arch of Titus and the Column of Trajan. The Roman Forum stood witness to the zenith of Imperial power, displaying the wealth and opulence of Rome at its pinnacle.

As the Western Roman Empire declined in the fourth and fifth centuries CE, the Forum gradually fell into disuse and neglect, ultimately becoming a symbol of a bygone era. The medieval and Renaissance periods witnessed the repurposing of Forum structures into churches, and it wasn't until the modern era that archaeological efforts unearthed the buried remnants, revealing the layers of Rome's storied past.

circa 1780 CE - Present

Rediscovery and Excavations' History
Although, the Forum was re-discovered in the Renaissance era, proper scientific interest in the area only began in the late eighteenth century CE. This led to the systematic explorations during the nineteenth century CE by illustrious archaeologists including Carlo Fea, Antonio Nibby, Pietro Rosa and Giuseppe Fiorelli. Earthworks brought back to light the ancient ground level of the Forum, a few meters beneath that of the surrounding city.

The most extensive excavations were undertaken in the early years of the twentieth century CE, directed by Giacomo Boni who explored the square, the Temple Caesar, the Lapis Niger, the Regia, the archaic necropolis, the Temple of Vesta with the house of the Vestal Virgins, the Spring of Juturna and the Church of Santa Maria Antiqua. His successor Alfonso Bartoli excavated the Basilica Aemilia and radically restored the Curia.

In subsequent decades explorations, though limited, continued in various areas including the Comitium, the Basilica Julia, the Arch of Augustus, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the area around the modern via della Consolazione, which was destroyed. Today the Roman Forum, though apparently a stretch of ruins, remains one of the most important places in the world for history and art.

circa 900 BCE- 400 CE

Though mostly lost over time, partially or entirely, the historical and archaeological structures in the Roman Forum, once the epicenter of ancient Rome’s political, social, and religious life, provide an insight in to the day to day life, political landscape, grandeur, commercial activity and evolution. From the early days of the Roman Kingdom, then Roman Republic through the imperial period, the Forum served as the stage for momentous political speeches, public ceremonies, and religious rituals, with its structures reflecting the evolving priorities and ambitions of Rome’s leaders. Among the most prominent structures are the Senate House (Curia), where political decisions were made; the Rostra, a public platform used for oratory; and the Temple of Saturn, which marked the site of the state treasury. Other significant monuments include the Temple of Julius Caesar, the Arch of Titus, and the Column of Trajan, each representing key moments in Roman history. The Forum's layout, with its mix of temples, basilicas, and public spaces, not only highlights the city's architectural ingenuity but also underscores its cultural and political importance. For a more detailed exploration of these and other remarkable structures within the Forum, refer to the "List of the Monuments of the Roman Forum."