Research > Sapienza Research Projects > Forum Augustum Project: Sculpture and Architecture in Context
Principal Investigator: Annalisa Lo Monaco
External links:
https://www.uniroma1.it/sites/default/files/field_file_allegati/finanziamenti_grandi_medi_piccoli_web_0.pdf
This project is the first systematic study of all the marble elements of the Forum of Augustus. The complex, dedicated in 42 BC and inaugurated in 2 BC, is well known as a whole. The rectangular plaza was enclosed on the rear side by an imposing peperino wall that separated it from the rest of the Subura. Inside, everything had been carefully designed: the marble shone and announced the advent of the new regime with its solemnity. A temple dedicated to Mars Ultor closed off the northern rear side; the long sides were framed by two porticoes beyond which four semicircular exedras opened. The porticoes were surmounted by attics, decorated with caryatids alternating with large shields bearing the heads of deities.
While the planimetric aspects, the architectural structure, and the subjects of the sculptural decoration are now well-established, many aspects of the complex remain to be clarified. Previous research has in fact focused primarily on the ideological meanings of the complex. The central theme of the project is the integration between architecture and sculpture, from the perspective of both composition and mutual adaptation. The questions are: 1. How do sculpture and architecture integrate with one another? 2. What are their formal models? 3. What solutions were necessary to adapt the models to a monumental architecture of such dimensions?
To attempt an answer, it is essential to pay close attention to the various workshops involved in the multiple stages of marble processing (sculpture and architecture). The project therefore involves a comprehensive cataloging and analytical study of the architectural and sculptural marble fragments housed in the various storage of the Sovrintendenza Capitolina, an activity that will involve students from the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree Courses. Additionally, new instrumental surveys and archaeometric analyses of the marbles and their ancient polychromy are planned.
Collaborators:
Lorenzo Kosmopoulos, Luca Dal Monte (Sapienza, Università di Roma). In convenzione con: Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali (Claudio Parisi Presicce). In collaborazione con: CNR/ISPC (Firenze (T. Ismaelli, E. Cantisani; D. Magrini).
- Bibliography
Forum Augustum: Scultura e Architettura in contesto (in press); L. Dal Monte, Il Foro di Augusto. Architettura e decorazione architettonica dei portici e delle esedre, Roma 2025.
Further details about this research:
- Research type: Progetto di ricerca grande
- Research topic: Roman Archaeology
- Fundings: Sapienza, Grandi Progetti di Ateneo 2022
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