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The
Comitium was at the heart of decision making in the early days of the
Republic, and was originally designed around the points of a compass.
To the north was the Curia Hostilia (the original Senate House), to
the south was the tribunal from which the magistrates spoke, later known
as the Rostra. Towards the end of the republic the population grew too
large to be accomodated around the Comitium and popular assemblies moved
to the Campus Martius. At the top right of the picture you can see the
Base of Mars, a base for an statue erected by Maxentius which was dedicated
to the mythical father of Romulus. According to legend, the Comitium
was the place where the Romans and Sabines met following their battle
for the Sabine women. In the pictures below there are some of the statue
bases and inscriptions that lie around the area. A proportion of the
ancient Comitium lies under the nearby earth bank and the Church of
SS Luca e Martina.
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 anscr2.jpg |
 comfloor.jpg |
 comitium.jpg |
 inscr.jpg |
 inscrs.jpg |
 ramp.jpg |
 inscr3.jpg |
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