Augustus's Forum buried under Mussolini's road: Rome's archaeological scandal

Beneath Via dei Fori Imperiali, constructed by Mussolini in the 1930s, lies the Forum of Augustus, a significant imperial site from ancient Rome. Historian Mary Beard emphasizes its role in the 'Augustan Model.' In his 1984 reconstruction, Paul Zanker illustrated two exedrae beside the temple, featuring Aeneas and Romulus. This forum acted as an early 'national history museum' that validated Augustus's reign. Since the 1970s, advocates like Antonio Cederna have pushed for the 'Progetto Fori,' aimed at excavation and establishing an archaeological park, which was introduced on April 21, 1979. Excavations between 2004 and 2007 uncovered evidence of a third exedra, indicating a fourth was removed during the Forum of Nerva's construction, with the road splitting the archaeological site.