What was the role of the basilicas in the Roman Forum?

The Roman Forum was not only used by the Romans as a meeting place or to praise their ancestors during funeral speeches. A pivotal function of the Forum was to render justice in civil law.
In fact the main trials of ancient Rome were celebrated in the basilicas, that were large rectangular roofed areas devoted to this legal practice.
If you by chance have taken my tours of Rome, I use to show my clients the remains of the basilica Julia, created by Julius Caesar and located on the longer side of the main market square. basilicas were also used to sign important contracts and to buy real estate.

Where did Romulus the first king of Rome die?

When walking inside the Roman Forum, there is always chance to see, beyond the arch of Septimius Severus, a paved area that is dark gray color. On the Via Sacra, before the entrance to the Roman senate, a small staircase takes the visitors in a subterranean area. This place is currently called the tomb of Romulus, but indeed it's a sanctuary dedicated to Vulcan, the god of the craftsmen. In the same place, a stone is carved with the oldest inscription in Latin language ,warning the visitors to not violate that sacred place. According to Livy, two are the accounts related to the death of Romulus: he may have been killed by the senators outside of the senate exactly in the place called later on Volcanal, or in the campus Martius when parading his troops. A lightning shrouded him and took him off the ground forever.

The treasures of the Capitol Hill

A very good visit to the ancient Rome begins with the Capitol Hill for a number of good reasons. First of all, the capitol is the smallest of the seven hills and it was used as the religious hill of the Etruscans and the Romans. In 509 BCE, when the Etruscan king tarquin the Proud was expelled from Rome, the Romans inaugurated the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus that was the largest temple of that time. That temple was used by the Roman generals for the main sacrifices to thank the gods at the end of the triumphal procession that took them safely back to Rome. The Capitol hill today appears in its new architectural setting designed by Michelangelo and it's the seat of the city hall of Rome. The major of Rome has his offices on the Capitol.

The layers of the Roman Forum

Few people know today that, if you join my tours of ancient Rome, you will be able to see some of the layers of the early Rome. Archaeologists are still today digging to understand if the Rome of Romulus existed and if it has been an intentional foundation. For example, last year a sensational discovery of the Lupercal may shed new light on the cult of the she wolf in ancient Rome.