I know this may be a bit of convuluted question, after all, the rostra stayed there for many many years, but it just became this sort of tourist attraction. The Julio Claudians filled it up with statues and all sorts of ornaments that it no longer felt like that old rostra that we are so used to. The rostra were the tribunes and consuls would step forward and speak out "Quirites!"

So what exactly happened to its function? How did the speeches die out?

Was it still in use by the age of Honorius? Maybe even for a panegyric?

Did anybody go up there and say "O most magnificent Caesar!" like they typically did or did it just become covered with statues and some chap cleaned the dust from it every now and then?