The Old Forum of Leptis Magna was the centre of the first Punic settlement on the site (from the 7th century BC) and the early Roman era. The barely excavated remains of Punic houses are off to the northeast. This square was allowed to fall into neglect after the shift of the city centre to the south, so little remains.
Nonetheless, as the monumental heart of the building projects by the Emperor Augustus, it remains an important signpost to life in the ancient city. Paved in AD 2, it was surrounded by colonnaded porticoes on three sides.
