Rome - Forum of Caesar

(Local Name: Foro di Cesare) The Forum of Caesar or Forum Julium lies at the foot of the Capitol hill, part of its area being now occupied by the gardens and parking lots of the Via dei Fori Imperiali. It was built between 54 and 46 B.C. by Julius Caesar at his personal expense, with the object both of enhancing his own fame and meeting the needs of the citizens, for which the old Forum Romanum was no longer adequate. The scanty remains give little impression of the original structure, which covered an area 170x75m/550x250ft. Around the forum were shops, the Basilica Argentaria (occupied by money-changers' offices and the exchange) and the temple of Venus Genetrix. Nothing has survived of the sculptural decoration of the forum, including an equestrian statue of Caesar which is described by ancient writers.