Abstract The lessons of ancient rhetoric teachers encompassed not only the art of effective content and delivery, but also the skill of utilizing gestures and facial expressions to maximize the emotional impact of speeches. In this study, we present the outcomes of an analysis examining the visibility of rhetorical hand gestures performed at the speaking platforms of the Forum Romanum during the Late Roman Republic and the reign of Augustus. We consider the visibility of gestures as a proxy for the capacity of the speaking platforms, enabling us to delve into the oratorical taskscape of the Forum Romanum and its transformations. The results not only relate to specific events but also illuminate general trends. Our analysis reveals that the changes in the built environment of the Forum between the Late Republican period (ca. 54 BCE) and Augustus’s era reduced the number of individuals able to perceive the speakers’ gestures. The same changes led to a greater spatial division between audiences at the various venues at the Forum, potentially explaining the shifts observed in the oratorical taskscape there. Our methodology has the potential to contribute to comprehensive analyses of public rituals and ceremonies regardless of their location in space or time.
Kopij et al. (2025) studied this question.