Caesar wanted his triumphal procession to
be remembered forever, and so he set aside money for an annual triumph to be
held in his honor. He also built himself a victory monument, the Forum of
Caesar, which was adjacent to the Forum Romanum, ancient Rome's political,
religious, and economic center.
The Forum of Caesar was a rectangular space
enclosed by covered walkways. At its center was a temple dedicated to
Venus Genetrix or Venus the Ancestress. Caesar and his family claimed to
be descended from Venus, the goddess of love, so the temple was a way of
reminding Romans of his divine lineage. The temple contained famous Greek
sculptures and paintings and a gold statue of Cleopatra.
