Gradually more public buildings were constructed around the square， thus forming a natural centre for the rapidly growing town. According to legend， the second king of Rome， Numa Pompilius， instituted the cult of Vesta and built the Regia， Tullius Hostilius built the first Curia and enclosed the area of the Comitium， and Tarquinius Priscus ordered the Forum paved around 600 B.C.E.. While the role of the kings cannot be proven， the dates are largely confirmedconfirmed adj.证实的， 惯常的， 慢性的 by archaeological research. Other very old monuments in the Forum area are the Vulcanal and the Lapis Niger.
In republican times the construction on the Forum continued， with a series of basilicas， notably the Basilica Sempronia and the Basilica Aemilia. Also from this period are the Temple of Saturn， the Temple of Castor and Pollux and the Temple of Concord.
The current image of the Forum Romanum is a result of the changes made by Julius Caesar as pontifex maximus and dictatordictator n.独裁者，独裁政权执政者，口授令他人笔录者， which included the construction of the Basilica Julia where the Basilica Sempronia stood， the building of a new Curia and the renovation of the Rostra， the speakers platform. Caesar didn，t see all his plans realised before his death， but most was finished by his successor Augustus， including the Temple of Divus Julius， dedicated to Caesar deified.
In imperial times the importance of the Forum as a political centre diminished， but it remained a centre of commerce and religious life. Construction and restoration continued， but now mostly in the form of honoraryhonorary adj.荣誉的， 名誉的， （债务的）道义上的 monuments， such as the Arch of Augustus， the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Septimius Severus. Other arches， such as the Arch of Tiberius， have disappeared completely. New religious buildings included the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina and the Temple of Vespasian and Titus. The Basilica of Maxentius from the 4th century is one of the last major additions to the Forum.
The Column of Phocas was the last monument to be erected in the Forum in 608 C.E.， but at this time the area was already half in ruin.
The Forum Romanum suffered damage and destruction repeatedly. When political strife in republicanrepublican adj.共和国的， 共和政体的， 共和主义的， 有关共和的 n.共和党人 times deteriorated into violence， the Forum would regularly be the scene of fierce fights between rivalling factions， often followed by destructive fires. Fire was always a problem in ancient Rome， and parts of the Forum burnt down several times， the worst fire being in 283 C.E.. Later the Forum suffered destruction and pillage at the hands of invaders. Most of the buildings on the Forum was destroyed completely in 410 C.E.， when the Ostrogoths of Alaric sacked the town. Many religious sites were abandoned and fell in ruin after the ban of nonChristian cults in 394 C.E..
After the fall of the empire in the west， the area was abandoned. A few buildings were converted into churches， including the Curia， the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina and the Temple of Divus Romulus； the rest was left to shepherdsshepherd n.牧羊人， 牧羊狗 v.牧羊， 看管， 带领 and their animals， to the extent that the popular name of the area became Campo Vaccino， the cattle field.
Many of the buildings served as quarries for other construction sites in the city during the renaissance and later， and gradually dirt piled up to 5～7 m above the street level of antiquity， covering all but the tallest ruins. This difference can be seen clearly on the church of San Lorenzo in Miranda (Temple of Antoninus and Faustina)， where the door now sits halfway up the wall. It used to be level with the ground.
Archaeological excavations began in 18th century， but the site have only been excavated systematicallysystematically adv.系统地， 有系统地 in the 20th century. Many of the later additions to buildings and monuments have now been removed and the original street level has been restored over large parts of the Forum.
The site of the Forum Romanum is still subject to excavations， and several parts of the Forum cannot be visited， but the whole area has the status of an archaeological site， open to visitors.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
比萨斜塔
意大利西部古城比萨的教堂广场上矗立一座圆形的钟楼，这就是闻名世界的比萨斜塔，它古拙秀巧，斜而不倾，被称为世界建筑史的奇迹。到意大利观光的游客都要到这里亲眼目睹这斜塔的风采。参观券很小，类似一张米黄色的小卡片，票幅为7.5cm×5cm。票面设计也非常简单，没有绘图和照片，上方是圆形斜塔的平面图，中间两排是意大利文，表明了景点的名称及设计师：“具有权威的建筑设计师皮萨诺的作品”，“比萨塔”。