Topic > Significance of the Temple of Mars Ultor in the Forum of Augustus

The period of the Republic was a time of great construction. Roman emperors and generals built many temples after succeeding in battle. A temple was a structure built for the purpose of religious activities such as sacrifice, and was usually dedicated to a Roman god or goddess. Ancient Rome had many noteworthy temples, but one of the most notable was the Temple of Mars Ultor in the Forum of Augustus. The Temple of Mars Ultor represented the successful revenge of a devoted son and enshrined the idea of ​​just war as the authentic foundation of Rome's imperial authority and identity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Temple of Mars Ultor was located in the Forum of Augustus. The Forum of Augustus was built next to the Forum of Caesar. Today it also borders the Forum of Trajan and the Forum of Nerva. The shape and style of the forum was similar to that of Caesar's forum in that it was an enclosed square dominated by a temple. However, unlike the other forums that existed at the time, no basilica existed in the Forum of Augustus. The reason Augustus built the forum was because the other two forums, the Roman Forum and the Forum of Caesar, were no longer able to accommodate the day-to-day aspects of the city, such as providing space for court proceedings. In fact, the need for space became so pressing that the forum was opened before the temple was completed. The temple was located at the eastern end of the forum (Fig.3) and was the only temple in the forum. The forum consisted of the temple of Mars Ultor, the porticoes and a large statue of Augustus which was located in front of the temple. Today only a part of the temple remains. The steps, some columns and parts of the porticos remain. In 42 BC the Battle of Philippi took place. This battle would decide who would control Rome and ultimately end the Roman Republic. It was fought between Octavian and Mark Antony against the assassins of Octavian's adoptive father Julius Caesar, Brutus, and Cassius. In the first battle (there were two) Octavian lost to Brutus, and Antony defeated Caissus. When Caissus lost he committed suicide, completely unaware that Brutus had succeeded. Brutus now had complete control of the army but was not the military leader that Caissus had been. Brutus attacked again and was completely defeated. In honor of this defeat and the success of a devoted son in avenging his father, Octavian vowed to build a temple to the god of war, Mars Ultor. The temple, however, was not dedicated until 2 BC. This was thought to be because Augustus did not have the funds to pay for the temple's completion. The Temple of Mars Ultor stood on a high podium and had eight Corthinian-style columns at the front. , three of which are still standing today. The structure of the temple was similar to that of the Temple of Venus in the Forum of Caesar, except that it was one and a half times larger. The temple was built of Italian white Luna marble obtained from the quarries of Carrara. Marble quarried from throughout the empire was representative of the wealth and imperial power of Rome and Augustus. On both sides of the temple there were porticoes which were used for courtrooms and other legal proceedings. These were lengthened by curving the porticoes into two exedras. In the exedra and in the portico to the left of the temple there was a gallery composed of statues of Aeneas and Romulus. Subsequent to the statue of Aeneas were statues of the ancestors of the Giuliana family. After the statue of Romulus there were statues of other great men of the Republic era. Each of the statues had an inscription beneath it indicating what the individual had accomplished for the republic of Rome. The temple.