judges could preside over trials or other business on a raised
platform at one end of the interior, called a tribunal. Court
cases would be heard in basilicas, though less-important tri-
als could be carried out in the open space of the forum itself.
In some cases, as in the Basilica Julia in Rome’s main forum,
small shops occupied the front section of the ground fl oor.
In the main forum of a Roman city, a major temple stood
at the short end of the oblong open space of the plaza. Th is
placement focused visitors’ attention on the temple. Th e tem-
ple was usually dedicated to three of the major gods in Roman
religion: Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. Other temples could also
be present in a forum, especially if they were dedicated to the
protective deity of the city or to a deifi ed emperor.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF ENTERTAINMENT
Some of the greatest innovations of the Roman architects
were the buildings designed as entertainment venues: baths,
theaters, and amphitheaters. Although Greek builders had
constructed their own baths and theaters, the Romans im-
proved upon their forms and monumentalized them. Th e
amphitheater, used for gladiatorial combat and hunts, is a
Roman invention.
Th e ritual of visiting a bath in the Roman world was sig-
nifi cant. It was not merely a place to clean oneself; it also al-
lowed visitors to exercise in the palestra (an open space for
ball games, stretching, and running), have a massage, meet
with friends or colleagues, read a book, stroll in a landscaped
garden, or hear a concert. Some luxurious private homes had
bath suites, but most Romans visited a public bath. Many cit-
ies had more than one bath; Pompeii had at least four at the
time of its destruction. One of the largest bath complexes ever
built was the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, constructed in the
early third century c.e. Th e site measures 390 by 740 feet, just
slightly smaller than Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
Most baths had three main rooms, named for the tem-
perature of the environment: a frigidarium for a cold-water
dip, a tepidarium for a swim in warm water, and a caldarium
for a hot bath. A laconium, like modern saunas, off ered a
steamy place to sit and work up a sweat. Bath buildings were
usually arranged symmetrically with the hot, warm, and cool
rooms in a row. Th e caldarium would be situated closest to
the furnace that was used to heat the entire structure. Th e
fl oors and walls of many baths were heated by a hypocaust.
In this system, the fl oors were raised on small brick piers andEngraving of the Roman Colosseum by Antoine Lafréry (© Th e Trustees of the British Museum)
80 architecture: Rome