The Roman Forum, Rome.

“Unlike the later imperial fora in Rome – which were self-consciously modelled on the ancient Greek plateia public plaza or town square – the Roman Forum developed gradually, organically, and piecemeal over many centuries. This is the case despite attempts, with some success, to impose some order there, by Sulla, Julius Caesar, Augustus and others. By the Imperial period, the large public buildings that crowded around the central square had reduced the open area to a rectangle of about 130 by 50 metres.”