Tabularium
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The Tabularium was the official records office of ancient Rome, and also housed the offices of many city officials. Situated within the Forum Romanum, it was on the front slope of the Capitoline Hill, below the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, to the southeast of the Arx and Tarpeian Rock.
Within the building were the remains of the temple of Veiovis. In front of it was the Temples of Vespasian & Concord, as well as the Rostra and the rest of the forum. Presently the Tabularium is only accessible from within the Capitoline Museum, although it still affords an excellent panoramic view over the Forum Romanum.
The Tabularium was first constructed around 78 BC, possibly by order of Sulla or maybe even Pompey the Great. It was later restored and renovated during the reign of the Emperor Claudius, about 46 AD.
[edit] Architecture
The building itself had a facade of peperino (tufa) and travertine blocks. The interior vaults are of concrete. The rear facade, facing the ruins of Temple of Julius Caesar in the Forum, consisted of three stories, the upper two probably stuccoed. The first story was largely blank with small doors and windows. The second story featured a Doric arcade (partially preserved). The third, no longer extant story had a high Corinthian order colonnade. This triple story effect, with a different order on each story had a strong influence on later architecture, such as the Colosseum.
"Tabularium" is the general term for any building containing records. There were a number of other tabularia scattered around the city of Rome and other ancient Roman cities.
