ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how Rome’s actors used the Forum Romanum and the Forum Traiani during the sixth century by analysing activities in the fora as recorded in archaeological, written and epigraphical sources. The focus is on the people who used the fora, how they used them, and why. It is argued that the actors’ demographic changed as aristocrats and rulers left the fora open for Rome’s inhabitants to claim them. Forum Traiani appears pristine and clean in the sources, shaped by an elitist wish to crystallise Roman history. It contrasts the messy Forum Romanum, shaped by graves and daily life. Ironically, this ‘messiness’, which ensured the forum’s continued relevance and resilience, has often been deemed a symptom of decline. Meanwhile, Forum Traiani’s untouched state has been used to claim its continued use. Based on resilience theory and collective memory theory, the fora’s use is analysed, and it is questioned whether their development can be labelled as decline, even if its expression clashes with modern aesthetics.
