 The Graecostasis as it may have appeared in its last construction as a permanent level "grandstand". Not illustrated is the Rostra Vetera. | |
| Rostra | |
|---|---|
| Comitium | |
| Curia Julia | |
| Roman government | Political institutions |
| The Graecostasis probably began as a temporary wooded structure, moved several times and eventually may have been a permanent stone edifice. | |
The Graecostasis (Ancient Greek: Γραικόστασις) was a platform in the Comitium near the Roman Forum, located to the west of the Rostra.[1] Placed at the southwest end of the Comitium, the platform was the designated spot for all representatives of foreign nations and dignitaries from the Republic and Empire's domain.
Visiting outsiders were not permitted within the Senate House or Curia and instead may have stood on this platform while waiting to meet with senators or to hear orations from the Rostra to its east side. Although one scholar has disputed this interpretation and argues that it may have served as a viewing platform for entertainment.[2]
- ^ Scullard, H. H. (December 20, 2002). A History of the Roman World, 753 to 146 BC. Routledge; 5 edition. pp. +located+to+the+west+of+the+Rostra.= 370. ISBN 978-0-415-30504-4.
- ^ O'Connor, Charles James (1904). The Graecostasis of the Roman Forum and its Vicinity. Madison: University of Wisconsin. p. 166.