The eastern part of the Roman forum was not only a religious center for old Latin cults, such as that of Vesta and the Atrium Vestae or house of the Vestles, it was the headquarters of the main priest of Rome. The Pontifex Maximus, whose task it was to supervise religious rituals, but also to keep a close eye on the Vestal virgins. His office was called the Regia, located in a small building with several rooms, and it had an irregularly shaped courtyard. It was just northwest of the Atrium Vestae, and in it were many of the sacred objects precious to all Romans. The Regia contained small shrines, what they called in Latin, Sacraria, dedicated particularly to Mars. The special protector of the Roman people and the troops, and to Ops,Ops Consiva, or Consivia, perhaps the wife of Saturn, and one of those ancient italic goddesses who protected the harvest. In the open air of this area, was a shrine to Mars, and there was a magic lance that allegedly quivered to alert the Roman people to the threat of war. The Roman forum had several speaker's platforms in it. So that all kinds of events could be held here, from military triumphs, to public feasts, to special expositions, to performances, many of these things could be held simultaneously. But how did the Roman Forum function on a day to day basis? As the city continued to grow in the early years of the Republic, the form remained a major meeting place for all of the citizens. Well, as you can imagine, it grew increasingly crowded by the 4th Century B.C.E. because the area also served as a marketplace for cattle and fish and vegetables. And still contain a number of sizable private homes belonging to important individuals. The northwest area of the forum just east of the Curia and the Labrum or Sacred Spring, the babbling brook, that came into the forum was a major food shopping area. It even included butcher shops, and nearby there were money lenders and money changers, it's part of the banking area. It is difficult to imagine the bustle and excitement of the Roman Forum, with its trials going on in the area of the Comitium. It's would be great orators espousing various subjects, prostitutes hanging around the shops looking for potential clients, and people running into each other to share the latest political or social gossip. There were also elderly citizens coming to take water from the Sacred Springs, that's where I'd probably be. Such as that of Juturna, a popular water nymph, said to have magic healing properties for the sick, that was found just east of temple of Castor and Pollux. That temple had it's own speakers platform with constantly haranguing orators. Oh there were lots of charlatans too. People ready to tell your fortune. Others who were just simply hoping to read documents for you for a fee, if you didn't know how to read. Or if your eyes were bad, which of course happened at a pretty young age, and they didn't have spectacles. So have a brief look at life inside and outside the Roman Forum.