A view of the East end of the Forum. The round structure on the far left is the Round Temple of Romulus. The partial wall behind it is the edge of the Basilica of Maxentius. The Colossium dominates the background, with the new Church of Saint Francesca Romana in front of it. (This church was first built around 900 A.D., on the site of the Oratory of St. Peter and St. Paul, c. 760 A.D. It was reconstructed in 1216 and 1615.) In the middle of the photo is the Temple of Vespa, with the Temple of Julius Caesar immediately in front of it. The Basilica of Julia is in the foreground. The three columns to the right are what remains of the Temple of Castor and Pollux. It was originally built to fulfill a battlefield promise of Aulus Postuminus Albinus to build a temple to the twins if Rome was victorius in the battle at Lake Regillus in 495 B.C. Legend has it that the twins appeared on the battlefield as two able horsemen who aided the Romans, and appeared again immediately after the battle in the Forum, watering their horses. The temple stands at the spot where they are said to have appeared in the Forum.

The original temple had a single central room, which was paved in mosaics. The columns formed a covered walkway that completely surrounded the temple, with three rows of columns in the front and a single row on all other sides. The twin statues of Castor and Pollux, with their horses, are now situated on the Piazza del Campidoglio. The current remains of the temple were probably from a reconstruction by Tiberius in 6 A.D.

The Temple of Antonius and Faustina. The columns and foundations are original – the structure behind the columns which looks like a 17^th century church is, in fact, a 17^th century church.

The temple was built by Antonius in honor of his wife, Faustina, in 141 A.D. When Antonius himself died in 161 A.D., the temple was rededicated to both of them, who were both considered to have ascended to deity-hood.

The original structure had a marble facade, and one can still see the holes in the travertine stones where it was attached.

History offers two possible explanations for the deep grooves in the marble columns. One explanation is that they were used to attach a temporary roof. Another is that they are grooves worn by ropes in an attempt to pull down the columns of the pagan temple, which withstood this insult and later was re-purposed as the Church of San Lorenzo in Miranda.

Ancient coins depict statues in the center of the porch of the temple, as well as two smaller statues on pilasters flanking the front stairs. The statues probably depicted Antonius and Faustina, but were probably destroyed when non-Christian cults were deemed illegal in the late 4^th century. Pieces of statuary have been found nearby, and this one restored to what may have been its former residence.

The columns are made from cipollino marble and are 55 feet high. The marble had beautiful gray and green patterning. The original building was faced with marble carvings of garlands, sacraficial instruments, and griffins.