Sveuilite u Zadru Odjel za arheologiju Kolegij: Engleski jezik struke I Nastavnik/ica: Anamarija tulina Student/ica: Tomislav Zekan

Zadar Forum
Seminarski rad

U Zadru, 2010. godine.

The modern city of Zadar is considered by many tourists as one of the pearls of the Adriatic coast. A combination of history, architecture and vibrant, mediterranean atmosphere has made Zadar one of the must-see cities for tourists during their stay in Croatia. A great deal of that fame Zadar ows to its forum. The forum, as we see it today, was constructed by the Romans in the first century B.C. Forums in general were found by default in all Roman cities and Zadars ( then known as Iadera ) was no exception. It was used as a place for all sorts of public activities. First, it was a place for serious political debate among the ruling class that governed the city. Second, it was used as a place for socialising and as a casual, everyday meeting place for common people. Finally, the forum was an important element in the economy in the city. It was used as a marketplace for trading all sorts of commodities, ranging from everyday products such as wine, grain and olive oil to luxury goods and even slaves. It also played a role in the religious life of the city. Archeological excavations have revealed the temples of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva to the west of the forum. The style of construction of the forum in Iadera is the similar to others found in all of the cities that were under Roman rule, from the Iberian peninsula to the shores of the Eastern Mediteranean. First, it consists of an elevated, polished stone pavement surrounded by stairs from three sides. Two of the sides are ninety meters long and the other two sides are forty five meters long. These dimensions make a perfect rectangle which reflects the Roman philosophy of order and balance. A transverse street known as a cardo went along the southeast borders of the forum. It was used to drain exces water from the forum.

Second, the capital is placed on the west side. Finally, the marketplace was situated on the side facing the sea. This placement had a reason. It made it easier to get cargo from ships to the market place or vice versa. During Roman rule the city of Iadera was one of the biggest economical centers and centers of trade in the region. We know this beacuse of three reasons. First, the forum ocuppied a vast space of more than four thousand square meters which made it possible to hold more than three thousand five hundred people at any given time. Second, artifacts found in the forum and in the near vicinity by archaeologists also prove this claim. These artifacts range from everyday goods such as shards of amphoras and ceramic bowls that were used for storing wine, grain and olive oil to luxury goods such as gold and silver jewelery; including bracelets, rings and neckleses, rare coins or ivory figurines. Finally, finds that include equipment from the military such as swords, shields and body armor show us that Iadera had a large garrison of Roman troops which waged war in the region. In the forth century A.D. christianity became the mandatory religion for all people under Roman rule. The forum was heavily influenced by this decision. The pagan temples dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva were destroyed and christian churches were built in their place. The church of Saint Donat is a testament to those times although it was built much later, in the tenth century. In the fifth century A.D. the centuries old Roman Empire finally fell to the onslaught of barbarians coming from all sides. This also affected Iadera and its forum in many ways. First, the economy was destroyed because trading was impossible. Trade routes from every direction were disrupted by the onslaught of barbarians. This meant that trading in the marketplace in the forum was a thing of the past. We poses many archaeological evidence of this. For example, goods dated to this period are of much lower quality than those dated earlier. For example, there are no

finds of high quality products made of expensive materials such as gold, silver or ivory. Instead we find that most jewelery was made of copper or bronze or out of low quality silver at best. Second, people didnt use the forum as a place of social gathering anymore. Its original purpose had been lost. Finally, the forum was neglected and some of its quality polished stone was used in the construction of christian houses of worship; cathedrals, churches and chaples. In the period of economic recovery in the twelveth and thirteenth century the name forum was lost to history. It was know known as a kampa. During this time the forum, or kampa as it was now known returned to its original purpose. It again became a place for trading goods and socialising. The people of Zara as it was called at that time even found a use for one of the columns that stood there from Roman times. It was used as a pillar of shame, where criminals or people that misbehaved in a manor that wasnt christian were chained to. The forum kept this appearance until it was destroyed in bombing campains of Zadar in the Second World War. In the twentieth and twenty first century the forum had a new roll, as a tourist attraction. It is one of the most famous landmarks of Zadar and a definite must-see while visiting. In the summer it is crowded with tourist who are enchanted by this centuries old forum and the atmosphere that you feel while walking on it. I think that it is almost a time machine that transports you to antiquity and you can almost hear the sound of traders flaunting their goods to customers, roman soldiers sharing war stories and nobleman discussing politics.