Section on the Forum of Nerva
The Forum of Nerva was built in the narrow space between the Forum of Caesar, the Forum of Augustus and the Temple of Peace, on a section of the Argiletum, the ancient road through the neighborhood it was named after and that linked the Roman Forum to the Subura district.
Of what remains, the section that best represents this Forum is to be found along the stretch of the southern wall where the so-called “Colonnacce” stand. They are the only two survivors of a Corinthian-style colonnade built around the square, in what was both an imitation and reproduction of those in the other Fora. In fact, given that there was not enough space to construct the real thing, pseudo-porticoes were built, featuring columns that were part of the wall behind them and that feature the protruding elements of an entablature.
The upper section of the attic, almost 18 mt above the ground, bears the holes that once held the clamps used to anchor the statues, and one of the reliefs that decorated its façade, in the space above and between the columns, has also survived. It features a female figure with helmet and shield, traditionally attributed to Minerva, the Goddess to whom Domitian dedicated the entire iconography of the Forum.
Another female figure, identified as “Province” was also originally located in the attic above the portico, but has now been reconstructed and is display in one of the rooms in the Museum along with other decorative architectural pieces too.
