The Roman Forum in Zadar was built by the first Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian, as attested by 3rd century stone inscriptions. When construction was completed, it was surrounded by a portico with galleries on the first floor, and under the portico were shops and stalls. From the 1st century BC, the Forum was the main gathering place for Roman soldiers and religious people, officials of the Republic and later of the Empire, as well as for the merchants and all citizens of Zadar in antiquity. Today, the Forum is an inescapable promenade and one of the symbols of the historic city.