Temple of Caesar

Welcome to one of the most hallowed and politically charged locations in the Roman Forum. We stand before the Temple of the Divine Julius, or the Aedes Divi Iulii. …

To truly appreciate where we are, we must mentally strip away the layers of time and reconstruct the scene of forty-four BC. Caesar had been murdered at the Theater of Pompey, but the Roman people, who adored their dictator,…

It took several years of civil war before Augustus could finally fulfill the promise to build this temple. It was officially dedicated in twenty-nine BC, following his victory at the Battle of Actium. …

One of the most striking features of the Temple of Caesar was its specialized Rostra, or speaker’s platform, built into the front of the podium. Augustus decorated this platform with the bronze 'rostra,' or naval rams, taken from…

In the center of the temple’s front, there is a semi-circular niche that holds the remains of the altar we discussed earlier. This is perhaps the most intimate spot in the entire Forum. …

Take a moment to turn around and look out over the open space of the Forum from the steps of the temple. In the first century, this view would have been spectacular. …

As the Roman Empire eventually embraced Christianity, the pagan temples of the Forum began a long period of decline and transformation. The Temple of Caesar was eventually abandoned as the cult of the Emperors was replaced by the…

Our journey through the Temple of Caesar comes to a close here at the foot of the deified Julius. We have walked the ground where a dictator became a god, and where the Roman people expressed their grief and fury in a wall of…