Forum Boarium

The Forum Boarium

The Rome audio-guided tour has you cross the ancient Forum Boarium, literally the cattle market of ancient Rome, where two remarkably preserved temples survive.

The former cattle market

Thanks to the proximity of the former river port of Rome, the merchant boats unloaded their goods here and supplied the cattle market, not far from the vegetable market. Two ancient temples still stand there. The round temple, built in the second century before Jesus Christ and composed of Corinthian columns, was dedicated to Hercules, one of the most venerated heroes of mythology: it is the oldest marble monument preserved in Rome. The rectangular temple, for its part, was dedicated to Portunus, god of rivers and ports. If these two buildings have come down to us in such good condition, it is because they were transformed into churches in the Middle Ages; inside the temple of Hercules there even survives a fresco of the Virgin and Child, a vestige of this Christian past.

What there is to see

The Forum Boarium charms with its two exceptionally preserved ancient temples: the round temple of Hercules, the oldest marble monument in Rome, and the rectangular temple of Portunus. Their transformation into churches allowed their preservation. It is a charming stage, by the Tiber, on the site of the former cattle market.

Practical information

The Forum Boarium is near the Tiber, in Rome, not far from the Bocca della Verita. The two temples can be contemplated freely outdoors; their interior is generally not open to free visit.

To what were the temples of the Forum Boarium dedicated?

The round temple to Hercules and the rectangular temple to Portunus, god of rivers and ports.

Why are these temples so well preserved?

Because they were transformed into churches in the Middle Ages, which protected them from destruction.