Roman Provincial Forum, Mérida

An archaeological area in Merida, Spain, representing the provincial forum of Emerita Augusta, founded in 25 BC as the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania. Built in the 1st century AD, the forum consisted of a large square with a monumental portico and a central temple accessed through the Arch of Trajan. The temple received massive marble decoration during Emperor Claudius's reign. Together with the municipal forum, theater, amphitheater, and other Roman monuments, it forms part of the Archaeological Ensemble of Merida, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.