ABSTRACT
In Chapter 6, as an introduction the history of the Forum is outlined. A brief mention of Plautus’ play Curculio, or “Forgery,” gives a sketch of life on the Forum. As the best source to obtain an understanding of the Forum in the last years of the Roman Republic, the chapter takes a closer look at letters and other writings by Cicero. It is shown how they contribute to a portrayal of the Forum in the last years of the Republic; how life in “the light” of the Forum was essential to the identity of a Roman politician and writer such as Cicero. Indeed, visual appearance and visual culture were highly characteristic of life on the Forum, and the rostrum, the highly ornamented speaker’s platform, was one of the most important elements of the Forum. Cicero coined the concept of “urbanitas,” and the chapter shows how the idea and the practice of urbanity relates closely to life on the Forum.
