FORUM, in Roman antiquity, a public standing place within the city of Rome, where causes were judicially tried, and orations delivered to the people.
FORUM was also used for a place of traffic, answering to our market-place. These were generally called
fora venalia; in contradistinction to the former, which were called fora civilia.
The fora civilia were public courts of justice, very magnificent in themselves, and surrounded with porticos and stately edifices; of these there were six very remarkable: 1. Forum Romanum. 2. Julianum. 3. Augustum. 4. Palladium. 5. Forum Trajani. 6. Forum Sæstii. The Forum Romanum was the most noted, and is often called simply Forum, by way of eminence. Here was the pleading place called Rostra, the Comitium, the sanctuary of Saturn, temple of Cæsar, &c. See ROSTRA, COMITIUM, &c.
The fora venalia, or market-places, were very numerous. The chief of them were the forum bœarum for oxen or beef; suarium for swine; pistorium for bread; expedimarium for dainties; editorium for gar len stuff.
The Grecian At-re exactly correspond with the Roman fora, being places where courts and markets were held. At Athens they had many fora, but the chief of them were the old and the new.
Forum Indicare, was the act of the prator appointing the place in Rome where causes were to be tried. Agere forum denoted the bringing on causes out of Rome, in a Roman province (Cicero, Suetonius); the same with agere conventum (Florus).
The term forum added to a proper name, denoted some market town or borough; as,
Forum Albeni, a place mentioned only by Tacitus; and, from what he says of it, thought to be Ferrara, capital of the duchy of that name in Italy. E. Long. 12. 5. N. Lat. 44. 46.
Forum Appii (Cicero, Luke); a town of the Volscæ, in Latium, on the Via Appia, a little beyond the Tres Tabernæ; set down in the Jerusalem Itinerary as situated near the river Nymphæus: now entirely extinct.
Forum Corneliæ, a town of the Cispadana, built by Sylla: Now Imola, a city in the Romania, and territory of the pope. E. Long. 12. 12. N. Lat. 44. 30.
Forum Domitii, a town of Gallia Narbonensis: probably built by Ahenobarbus Domitius, who commanded in those parts: Now Frontignan, or Frontignac, in Languedoc, near the Mediterranean. E. Long. 3. 30. N. Lat. 43. 30.
Forum Fulvii, a town of Liguria, surnamed Valentinum; from which it is conjectured that it is now Valenza, in the duchy of Milan; which is confirmed by Peutinger's distances. E. Long. 9. N. Lat. 45.
Forum Gallorum, a small town of the Cispadana, on the Via Æmilia, eight miles from Mutina, beyond the river Scultenna. Here Antony defeated Pansa, and was in his turn defeated by Hirtius: Now Castelfranco, in the territory of Bologna.—Another Forum Gallorum, a town of the Vascones in the Hither Spain: Now Gurrea, a small town of Arragon.
Forum Julium. There are several towns of this name; as a Forum Julium, of Gallia Narbonensis; or Forejulium: Now Fréjus, or Fréjules, in Provence, at the mouth of the Argens. Forum Julium Carnorum, to the north of Aquileia, in the Transpadana: Now Cividal di Friuli, formerly Cividal d'Anstria, in the territory of Venice.
Forum Jutuntorum, a town of the Insubres, in the Transpadana: Now Crema, capital of the Crema, &c.
Dentalia.
FOSSIL Shells &c. Pectines.
Plate CCI.
Concha. Concha Margaritifera.
Cylindri.
Syringoides Lapis.
Orthoceratites.
Indaicus Lapis.
Ostracites.
Nautili.
Echinita.
Nerita.
Ammonites or Snake Stones.
Buccina.
Gryphites.
Asteria or Star Stones.
Astropodium.
Trochita.
Albitt. Pinn. Wal. & Consp. pte. post.
in the territory of Venice. E. Long. 10. 15. N. Lat. 45. 20.
Forum Livii, a town of the Semaones, in the Cis-
palpina: Now Forli, in Romania. E. Long. 12. 45.
N. Lat. 44. 25.
Forum Segisfanorum, situated on the east side of the
Liger, in Gallia Celtica: Now Leers, on the Loire,
in the Lionnois, capital of the territory of Forez. E.
Long. 4. 15. N. Lat. 45. 44.
Forum Tiberii, a town of the Pagus Tigurinus, in
Belgica, on the left or south side of the Rhine: Now
Kayserstuhl; literally the tribunal of Tiberius, which he
held there when commander in the Rhetian war.
Forum Vulcani (Strabo); the Campi Phlegrati of
Pliny: a place in Campania, encompassed with rocky
eminences, near Puteoli, and distant from it two miles
towards Naples, emitting smoke, and in some places
flame, like a large extensive furnace, and yielding sul-
phur: Now called Solfataras, in the Terra di Lavoro.
Forum, is also used, among casuists, &c. for juris-
diction; thus they say, In foro legis, &c.