West of the Basilica Iulia, beyond the narrow street that was called the vicus lugarius, stands a large part of the old temple of Saturn. The ugly granite columns with a portion of the entabla ture belong in part to a hasty reconstruction of the 4th century (a part of one column is even inverted). The inscription recording the final restoration avoids mention of the pagan god, and the building was then in secular use. Some fragments of the cornice are remains of the republican temple of 42 B.C.—from the period of crude stone-carving—while others are later work done on the same design. On the interior facing of the frieze may be seen some good decorative slabs that were actually filched from Trajan's forum for this hasty patchwork. The podium has not a little of the splendid travertine masonry of Plancus' temple of 42 B.C. The only remains of the original temple of the early republic (497 B.c.) are the few cappellaccio blocks visible in the podium (at the very base of the east side), and in the crude wall in front of the temple—remains apparently of the original altar. The low drain-vault that appears near the latter—also early work—carries a shelf on which was found a shallow trough, apparently the runnel constructed to carry away the blood of the victims sacrificed on the altar. Saturn was an early agrarian divinity, but since his tem ple stood not far from the senate house, the senators—who knew that temples alone might escape looting in times of war—began to store State moneys in this temple. It thus became the official Aerarium or State treasury at Rome.
West of the temple of Saturn stands the colonnade of the Dei Consentes, the 12 chief gods whose images were represented at public festivals, according to an imported Greek rite. The older parts of the structure belong to the 3rd century B.C., when the rite was introduced at Rome. The cult never received much atten tion. Between this and the temple of Concord is seen the podium of the Vespasian Temple, on which three fine Corinthian columns Welbrack, Jahrbuch des Instituts (1921).
Papers of the British School at Rome. i. (i902) ; Wilpert, Mosaiken and Malerien; M. Avery, in Art Bulletin (1925). Rom. Gebiilke, p. 65 (1923) still stand. Titus began to build this temple to his deified father and after his death it was completed by Domitian. The well carved frieze and cornice are good examples of Flavian workman ship.
Finally at the very head of the market place are the remains of the Rostra built by Caesar and Augustus. What we see is a semi circular approach in travertine steps from the area of Concord to the platform, and, on the forum side, the front foundation in tufa blocks (partly restored). The timber platform extending from the one to the other was at first supported by travertine posts standing upright, a few of which are still visible. When these proved too weak brick piers were added. The fragment of a fine
wall of tile seen on the inside seems to be Augustan, and is one of the earliest instances of brick (broken-tile) masonry of Rome. It was removed in large part during the empire and the foundation which it lined was cut back into a semicircle to make room for a small chamber. The tufa wall on the forum side was originally faced with marble and to this wall were attached the beaks of ships (rostra) brought from the old platform of the comitium. The platform held numerous statues, and in the older concrete mass of Caesar's period we may discern separate concrete bases which probably supported such statues. The interesting marble balus trades that now stand near the centre of the forum, decorated with excellent representations of political and sacrificial scenes, were probably made for this platform in Trajan's day.
East of the forum along the Via Sacra in its course over the Velia the excavations have left many problems unsolved. Between the street and the Palatine there are remains of many residences of the republican period. The foundations of old shops along the street—it was the jeweller's street—are probably of the Gracchan era. After Nero's fire the emperor covered the whole area with one vast commercial hall with an imposing portico of travertine arches along the Owing to faulty construction this building had to be strengthened later with brick-lined concrete piers which are now seen everywhere throughout the building. North of the Via Sacra, beyond Faustina's temple, stands the church of Cosmas and Damianus, which seems to have been the temple of the In front of this, later used as entrance to it, is an ugly round temple not yet identified with certainty.
Beyond the narrow street is the massive Basilica of Constantine (almost completed by Maxentius) which Michelangelo and Bra mante studied for their plans of Saint Peter's, and which has in fluenced the architects of more than one structure in England and America. This basilica first had its entrance at the east end with its apse at the west. Constantine's architect built a portico at the centre of the south wall on the street, and made a tribunal against the north wall opposite this new entrance. Of the immense marble monolith columns (brought from the sea of Marmora) one is still standing in the piazza in front of S. Maria Maggiore. The plan is that which had been developed for the central halls of Roman baths rather than for the earlier basilicas. The four enormous piers, for instance, bear the weight on the interior, whereas in the Basilica Iulia, which is only a third as large, 74 pillars are used. The material of this immense basilica was sumptuous to a degree, but the decorative carving reveals the tasteless exaggerations and lack of practised artistry of Constantine's day.