Basilica Julia, Roma, Italy
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denben
N 41° 53.533 E 012° 29.092
33T E 291344 N 4640868
The Basilica Julia was built on the site of the earlier Basilica Sempronia (170 BC) along the south side of the Roman Forum, opposite the Basilica Aemilia.
Waymark Code: WM10YF6
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 07/11/2019
Views: 4
Across from the Temple of Castor and Pollux are the foundational remains of one of the largest buildings in the Forum, the Basilica Julia. It was built in 46 BC by Julius Caesar. It was burned shortly after in a great fire and was finally re-dedicated by Augustus in 12 AD. The Basilica was again reconstructed by the Emperor Diocletian after the fire of 283 AD. The Basilica was partially destroyed in 410 AD when the Visigoths sacked Rome and the site slowly fell into ruin over the centuries. Part of the remains of the basilica was converted into a church in the 7th or 8th century.
The Basilica Julia housed the courts of law and was a space for banking and government offices. It was also a favorite meeting place for ancient Romans, with shops and gathering spaces. It was as big as a football field, 3 stories high with an enormous open space in the center. Ancient accounts describe it as a place bustling with people and noise. The entire outside was built with roman arches and decorated with statues facing the center of the Forum. It is the place where Emperor Caligula allegedly had money thrown off the roof to the people below because he loved to watch them fight for it.
Nowadays, all that remains is the scattered ruins of the Julia basilica, of which only the foundations are still clearly visible on the Roman Forum. We can still see fragments of marble paving. Along the vicus Iugarius there are some pillars and brick arches dating from the reconstruction under Diocletian.
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