The civic and commercial heart of ancient Pompeii, surrounded by the remains of temples, market halls, and the basilica (law courts). The Temple of Jupiter dominates the north end with Vesuvius framed directly behind it — when you stand at the south end of the Forum and look north, the volcano rises behind the temple columns in a composition that still feels arranged. The Forum's paving stones show the ruts worn by generations of carts and wagons.
Plaster casts of eruption victims are displayed in a small storage building on the western side of the Forum — among the most affecting things at the site. Giuseppe Fiorelli developed the technique in the 1860s: volcanic ash hardened around the decomposed bodies, creating voids that Fiorelli filled with plaster to preserve the exact shapes of the dead. More than 100 casts have been made. The forum is usually the first major area reached from the Porta Marina entrance.