Welcome to the archaeological site of the Imperial Forums, one of the largest areas in the world where digging, research and studies are still under way. It is here that the Roman civilisation began and evolved throughout the centuries . As Italian nationals and as citizens and administrators of Rome, we have the mission of preserving and disseminating knowledge of these records of the past. But this is not the heritage of a single city or nation; it is the heritage of mankind. Now, thanks to state-of-the-art communication technologies, this wealth can be brought to the fruition of the entire world.

This is the rationale for the creation of CAPITOLIUM.ORG, an official source of live information on the archaeological site of the Imperial Forums. Day by day, on-line visitors can follow the development of the work which is being carried out by top-level scholars of Roman antiquity.

Here, you can find the technical details of the works and of the finds, the history of the age of Emperors, slices of life of ancient Romans, live and library images. Thanks to virtual reality, you can perceive how the present archaeological area looked like at the time. A sophisticated webcamera, operating around the clock, will also enable you to follow the progress of the works in the Forums.

The Mayor of Rome and his staff are delighted to allow on-line visitors from all over the world to share the view that they daily enjoy from their windows, on the Capitoline Hill.

The Cultural Heritage Department of the Municipality of Rome included the project of the Imperial Forums into its Jubilee Year Program. The project completes the first stage of the digging works recently initiated in the Forum of Nerva. The works will involve an area of 14,000 sq.m. along Via dei Fori Imperiali, where 3,500 sq.m. of the Forum of Caesar, 5,500 sq.m. of the Temple of Peace and 6,000 sq.m. of the Forum of Trajan will be unearthed. Archaeological works of such magnitude and scientific value in downtown Rome are an unprecedented challenge.

The new archaeological activities in this area and throughout Rome were made possible by the joint efforts of the Municipality and of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Environment. These efforts resulted into remarkable discoveries, such as the famous Painted City under the Domus Area of the Oppio Hill or, more recently, a fragment of the ancient Forma Urbis, significant sculptures and remnants of ancient monuments, together with the solution of conundrums about the real Imperial Rome. We can thus expect additional finds within a short time.

This wealth should be made available to scholars but, above all, to the public at large. In the year 2000, an Archaeological Park is planned to be created. The Park will extend from the Colosseum to the Capitoline and Quirinal Hills, through museum itineraries in the archaeological areas. The project will also involve the revision of the present road layout.

This Website was created by the Municipality of Rome, jointly with Microsoft Italia, Canon Italia for systems and engineering support; and Fabbi Studio for project management and implementation.

We invite you to explore the available chapters of our Web page and to check them periodically for updates on archaeological finds.

But remember to pay a real - and non-virtual - visit to the Forums and to the city of Rome: it will be an unforgettable experience.

Francesco Rutelli
Mayor of Rome

> Imperial Forum area

> Methodology of the archeological excavation

> News from the Forum workshop

> The staff engaged in recovery