00:11The Forum of Timgad, in Latin, Forum Timgadens, is the main public square of the Roman city of Timgad, located
00:18in the current Wilaya of Batna, in the Ores region of Algeria.
00:22Founded in the frankincense trade during the reign of Emperor Trajan, the city is established at the foot of the mountain range of
00:27Ores, in a position that is both strategic and monumental, near Ambèse, on a dominant plateau
00:32the transport routes between the plains and the mountainous regions.
00:35The archaeological site of Timgad, whose Forum constitutes the major civic center, is inscribed on the heritage list
00:42UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982.
00:44Located at the heart of the colony's Hippodamian plan, at the intersection of the Cardo Maximus and the Decumanus Maximus, the
00:50Forum occupies the geometric center and constitutes the symbolic center of the city.
00:54The square and the surrounding buildings together form a rectangle approximately 100 meters by
00:5960 meters, despite a notch at the northeast corner which isolates a square of approximately 24 meters per side
01:04without changing the overall orientation of the complex.
01:07The central square, bordered by porticoes, is dominated by the colony's main public buildings, notably the basilica, the
01:14Curia and the temple of the Forum.
01:15The complex also includes fountains marking the monumental entrance, public latrines, and shops opening onto the Decumanus Maximus.
01:23as well as a significant array of bases and honorary pedestals.
01:27The Forum, the city's political, administrative, judicial, religious, and commercial center, concentrates the main functions of public life.
01:34Roman.
01:34It forms the seat of municipal life, centered around the curia and the basilica, but also a space
01:40of patronage and civic representation, where the honors paid to emperors, magistrates, and local notables are reflected
01:46through the establishment of statutes and public registrations.
01:49Designed from the outset according to a regular structure, the Forum has nevertheless undergone reorganizations and transformations over the years
01:552nd and 3rd centuries, linked in particular to the evolution of trade routes, the development of commercial activities and adaptation
02:01progressive development of monumental spaces.
02:03The Forum also constitutes an important medium for epigraphic expressions and a direct testimony to the daily use of the space.
02:09'public space.
02:10Numerous Latin inscriptions have been discovered on the bases of statues, pedestals, and various architectural elements, while
02:17The paving retains several engraved games, incised designs and a sundial.
02:22Among these graphites is the famous inscription VEN A R I L A V A R E L V D
02:26E R E R I D E R E O C C and Viveré, which combine the pleasures of leisure
02:30to the experience of urban life.
02:32Rediscovered and gradually unearthed from the late 19th century onwards during the first major archaeological excavation campaigns,
02:38The Forum of Timgad is today one of the best-studied monumental complexes in Roman Africa.
02:43Through the state of preservation of its structures, the richness of its epigraphic decoration, and the clarity of its organization,
02:49It constitutes a major testimony on the urban planning, municipal institutions and social practices of a Roman colony.
02:55'North Africa.
