Comitium

By Crusader1307

Dating to The Kingdom Period through The Republic Era – a Comitium was the forerunner to The Forum. These were Public Meeting Places, not only used to discuss various civil matters – but also served the religious community as well (for Public Rituals and Ceremonies). Voting (in The Republic Era), was commonly held at The Comitium. Every Roman City had some form of Comitium (some very elaborate, others very plain). They were constructed of ''natural'' stone to include a circular floor foundation and perhaps a Speaker's Platform (mostly a larger stone by which The Speaker simply stood upon). People could gather around this and ''hear'' what was being said. Some versions had stone seats (also arranged in a circle around The Speaker). The Comitium bore a great resemblance to an outdoor Theater setting. As Cities grew, and The Republic was replaced by The Imperial Era – Comitiums were ''replaced'' with The Forum Style of Public and formal Meeting Places.