The Rostra & Temple of Caesar: Where Mark Antony Stirred Rome
Why is it significant?
Walk to the modest pile of weathered tuff blocks sheltered under a small wooden roof near the eastern edge of the Forum plaza.
Key Facts
| Place | The Rostra & Temple of Caesar: Where Mark Antony Stirred Rome |
|---|---|
| Address | Foro Romano, 00186 Roma RM |
| Geo Coordinates | 41.89210, 12.48600 |
| Part of Walk | Imperial Rome: The Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Emperors' Palaces |
| Generated | Generated |
Walk to the modest pile of weathered tuff blocks sheltered under a small wooden roof near the eastern edge of the Forum plaza. You are standing before the remains of the Temple of Julius Caesar, erected by Augustus in twenty-nine BC on the exact spot where Julius Caesar's body was spontaneously cremated by grieving Roman citizens on March twentieth, forty-four BC.
Just days after Caesar was assassinated in the Theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March, his body was brought here. Mark Antony stood on the nearby stone speakers' platform, the Rostra, and delivered his fiery funeral oration, holding up Caesar's bloodstained toga slashed with twenty-three dagger holes. The enraged mob tore down benches, tables, and shop stalls to build an impromptu pyre to cremate their champion.
Look at the front of the mound: even today, fresh red roses, laurel wreaths, and coins are quietly left on the stone altar every single day by visitors paying tribute to the dictator who changed world history.
Begin climbing the shaded cypress ramp leading up to the Palatine Hill.