Abstract

The Forum Romanum in Rome is a space that was constructed on an aquatic landscape - and subsequent built structures there reminded ancient Romans of that landscape, in addition to mythical, historical, and mytho-historical figures and events of the past. This paper demonstrates how the city centre of Rome, replete with numerous monuments that did not actually have running water like subsequent grand fountains of the Imperial period, were the products of the commemorative practices of the Romans, tied directly to sensorial experiences, memory, and identity. The monuments explored here represent the power of the Romans, in addition to their naval victories and mythical past predicated on water. The metaphysical topography of the Forum Romanum provided a space intimately tied to water, which also had the potential to be replicated in other parts of the Empire, tying its inhabitants to the capital.