The forum was the centre of social and public life in every Roman city as well as in Zadar. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the destruction of the urban tissue in the Second World War and after comprehensive research, its archaeological remains have been presented in a sort of urban archaeological park. Professional and scientific analysis has shown that its construction began in the 1st century before Christ and ended at the beginning of the 3rd century. The forum was situated at the intersection of the main longitudinal (decumanus maximus) and the main crosswise street (cardo maximus) following the grid plan. There was an open paved square in its centre, which was enclosed from the north, east and south by a two-storey portico. The capitolium, enclosed by a peribolus, was on the western side and the temple dedicated to the Capitoline Triad Jupiter, Juno and Minerva was erected in its centre. On the open pavement of the forum two massive votive columns arose in the immediate vicinity of the capitolium, one of which has been preserved to date in its original place. The tabernae, rectangular spaces for merchants, were built along the outer eastern and northern side of the portico. The numpheum was situated on the southeastern side of the portico. The municipal basilica, the centre of political and public life, was an elongated rectangle with semicircular exedrae (singular exedra) on the western and eastern end. It was situated along nearly the entire southern portico. Buildings of the Episcopal complex were already erected in Early Christianity between the 2nd half of the 4th and 6th centuries on the northern side of that complex architectural structure. It was further complemented throughout history and shaped until the end of the 19th century. The open area of the forum on the southern side was partly replaced by a medieval square known as Campa, and later the Green Square (Piazza delle Erbe) over the substructure of a Renaissance cistern. By removing the rubble of buildings from this layered and functionally diverse urban tissue, which completely erased the visual memory of the forum structure, today we are proud of the evident and accentuated coexistence between the presented forum remains and vital modern facilities and structures.

Type of Data Point - Publicly Available Information

Forum Zadar - Public Info

Visit page of the element - Forum Zadar

Inserted: 15-02-2023 17:02:22