The triumvir Octavian vowed to build a temple honoring Mars, the Roman God of War, during the battle of Philippi in 42 BC.

[1] After winning the battle, with the help of Mark Antony and Lepidus, Octavian had avenged the assassination of his adoptive father Julius Caesar.

The Forum of Augustus was among the first of the great public buildings of Rome which disappeared that also explains the rapid loss of the memory of its original name.

By the 10th century, the forum had become so congested with ruins and vegetation, that the locals had given it the name Hortus mirabilis (the wonderful garden).

The Senate met at the Temple when discussing war and the victorious generals dedicated their spoils from their triumphs to Mars at the altar.

Most notable were the statues of Augustus in full military outfit in the center of the Forum, and of Mars and Venus in the Temple.

In total, there were 108 portrait statues with inscriptions of each individual's achievements, providing an important idea of how Augustus viewed his role within Roman history.

Whilst all the elogia record the deeds of these great men, Augustus's Res Gestae Divi Augusti acts as a direct parallel.

A large statue called the Genius of Augustus was placed in the northern portico, currently referred to as the Hall of the Colossus- the possible base is still intact and visible.