The open space in front of the Curia was the political hub of ancient Rome. Julius Caesar had rearranged the Comitium, moving the Curia to its current site and transferring the imperial Rostra, the podium from which orators spoke to the people (decorated originally with the prows of captured ships, or rostra, the source for the term "rostrum"), to a spot just south of the Arch of Septimius Severus. It was from this location that Mark Antony delivered his funeral address in Caesar's honor. Also here, under protective roofing (visitors are not allowed to enter), is the legendary burial place of Romulus, first king of Rome. On the left of the Rostra stands what remains of the Tempio di Saturno, which served as ancient Rome's state treasury.
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