Forum Boarium

• 1. Geographic Origins And Location

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  The Forum Boarium occupied a level piece of land near the Tiber River between three hills: the Capitoline, the Palatine, and the Aventine. This specific spot served as the original docks for Rome itself. Ships unloaded goods here while the Pons Aemilius stood nearby as the earliest stone bridge across the water. The area experienced intense commercial activity due to its position as a river port. Cattle traders moved through this space daily during ancient times.

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• 2. Religious Foundations And Myths

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  Ancient dwellers on the Palatine hill dedicated an altar to Hercules after he arrived with Geryon's oxen. A giant named Cacus lived in a cave at the foot of the Aventine hill and stole these cattle from the hero. Hercules eventually slew the giant to recover his livestock. The tufa stone core of the original altar now sits inside the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Livy wrote about these events two centuries later in his History of Rome.

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• 3. Funeral Games And Human Sacrifice

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  Marcus and Decimus Junius Brutus Scaeva organized gladiatorial combat in 264 BC to honor their deceased father. Three pairs of fighters participated in this event which marked the first gladiatorial contest held in Rome. Four victims were buried alive under the Forum Boarium in 215 BC following reports of great disaster. A Gaulish man, a Gaulish woman, a Greek man, and a Greek woman filled a stone vault beneath the ground. Marcus Claudius Marcellus sent 1500 men from Ostia to garrison Rome after the gods appeared propitiated.

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• 4. Architectural Survivals And Styles

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  The Temple of Hercules Victor dates from the 2nd century BC and stands as the earliest surviving marble building in Rome. Corinthian columns form a concentric ring around a cylindrical cella resting on a tuff foundation. The Temple of Portunus was built between 100 and 80 BC with four free-standing Ionic columns at its front. Six columns along the long sides and four columns at the rear are engaged along the walls of the cella. Both structures feature stucco surfaces over tuff and travertine materials.

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• 5. Christian Conversion And Adaptation

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  During the late period of the Western Roman Empire shops began overtaking the area surrounding the temples. Both ancient buildings were deconsecrated and converted into Christian churches by that time. The church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin now houses the tufa core of the original altar dedicated to Hercules. A statue possibly depicting Theseus defeating the Minotaur once stood near the cattle market according to historical sources.

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• 6. Modern Conservation Efforts

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  A partnership between an unnamed organization and the World Monuments Fund began conservation work in the late 1990s. This project included new landscaping for the site alongside restoration of both temples. The Arch of Janus remains unrestored despite these efforts. Giuseppe Vasi created mid-18th century etchings showing the Temple of Hercules Victor with the temple of Portunus on the right side.

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