Trajan’s Market and the Imperial Fora are an archaeological complex built by the emperors during the course of half a century (between 46 B.C. and 113 A.D.).

This happened towards the end of the Republic when the Romans began to realise that the Roman Forum was inadequate for political and administrative functions.

The first of the Imperial fora was built by Julius Ceasar and it became a prototype for the ones that followed.
The Augustan Forum, the Transient Forum (built by Diocletian but inaugurated by his successor Nerva) and the most important one, the Trajan Forum, were then built later.

Behind the Basilica Ulpia, in the Imperial Fora, you can still find the Trajan Column, built to celebrate the conquering of Dacia (which is now Romania) on behalf of Emperor Trajan. This was the period when the Roman Empire was at the height of its power.

The Trajan column has been standing for 1,900 years and it recalls, in an incredibly detailed way, all the steps of the territorial expansion which led to fierce battles.