Trajan's markets

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Trajan's markets and parts of the Trajan's forum
Plan of the Trajan's Markets in relation to the Trajan's Forum

The Trajan's markets ( Italian Mercati di Traiano ) are a collection of ancient buildings in the center of Rome .

The brick building, which today is mostly regarded as an ancient multi-purpose building, was built at the time of Emperor Trajan . It has six floors with a semicircular facade. It was built on the edge of the most famous and largest forum, the Trajan's Forum , in the slope of the Quirinal .

Today the Museo dei Fori Imperiali is located in the Trajan's Markets .

Dating

Construction probably began under Domitian (81–96 AD) and then continued and completed under Trajan (98–117 AD). The Trajan's Markets were created 100–110 AD in connection with the Trajan's Forum, but as an independent complex.

The architect named Apollodorus of Damascus , who was also responsible for the Trajan's Forum as an architect.

Structure

For the construction it was necessary to remove parts of the Quirinal. In the process, more than 60 million cubic meters of earth and rock were removed. The concave semicircular shape also served as a support for the previously removed hill.

Since there were a large number of small shops on the saddle of the Quirinal that had to be destroyed or relocated by the demolition, there were a large number of tabernae in the lower building . Overall, the building consists of over 170 individual components that can be combined into large groups.

so-called large auditorium
Torre delle Milizie
  • The so-called Great Aula has a central hall room (32 × 8 m) with six cross vaults, flanked by small rooms on three floors. On the ground floor, the rooms open into the hall. The rooms on the eastern side were probably used for storage, as the light supply was very sparse or even non-existent here. On the first floor, the rooms are connected to a corridor with pillars that support the vault. There is a third floor on the east side, which opens onto a terrace in the direction of the forum. The entrance to the so-called Great Aula, a round arch that also served as a light supply, is located in the north.
  • The Via Biberatica borders the top building from (central building and the so-called Great Hall) of the lower construction (Hemicyclus). The paved path is lined with rooms and travertine portals , which were usually interpreted as tabernae. The travertine portals have high decorative entrances, which point to a noble shopping street. In the south there was an arch that connected the central structure and the large hemicycle. The street was only intended for pedestrians and carts could not use it. The name is not ancient and comes from the Latin word bibere (drink). The Via Biberatica has been restored many times and today shows little from antiquity.
  • The central building was located between Via Biberatica and the Giardino delle Milizie . It consisted of three floors. Irregularly built rooms are on the first floor. On the second floor there is a large apse room, which is framed by small rooms. The third floor is divided up in a similar way to the other two, with remains of frescoes from the 16th century on the walls. Roman bricks overlap here with irregular tuff masonry from the 15th century. This illustrates the modifications made according to Trajan.
  • The large hemicycle , also called the large plenary hall, nestles against the exedra of the Trajan's forum and is therefore also decisive for the shape of the Trajan's markets. At the level of the forum there are eleven small rooms that are framed with portals and covered by a barrel vault. In the rooms there are parts of a black and white mosaic floor and remains of wall frescoes, both presumably from the Severan period . On the first floor there were rooms with many windows that were decorated with decoration. Above it were the tabernae open to Via Biberatica and an outside terrace. At each end of the hemicycle there was a semicircular hall with a half-dome.
  • Under the so-called Great Aula is the Small Hemicycle , a semicircular building complex with three floors. All three floors have a similar structure. Ring-shaped corridors with barrel-vaulted rooms, which were probably used as storage rooms for oil, form the first floor. The second level is level with Via Biberatica and shows semicircular rooms with large windows. A flight of stairs led to the third floor, which consisted of a number of rooms that led onto a corridor.
  • Behind the central building, accessible via Via della Torre, is the medieval Gardiano delle Milizie . The rooms and cisterns are from Trajan times. The Torre delle Milizie tower , which is distinctive for the building of the Trajan's markets, also dates from the Middle Ages and underwent numerous renovations, especially in the 12th and 13th centuries.

function

From an archaeological point of view, an interpretation and function is difficult and mostly speculative due to a lack of written sources and a lack of archaeological finds. On the one hand, the building is interpreted as a trading place with restaurants and shops; on the other hand, it is assumed that the lower building was assigned to public life and activities around the forum and the upper section comprised the management and administration. Hereafter the term multifunctional center would appear more appropriate.

The building was certainly not a coincidence, but was planned by Trajan. The emperor demonstrated his power and rule with the building, but also the care for his people. Through the markets he drew public life to the forum. The Trajan's Markets are an impressive structure, both today and in ancient Rome.

present

From the Middle Ages, the Trajan's markets were used as a fortress, monastery or barracks. The Museo dei Fori Imperiali has been in the Trajan's markets since 2007. It illustrates the architecture of the ancient imperial forums .

literature

Web links

Commons : Trajan's Markets  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mathew Bunson (2002) [1994]. New York Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire
  2. ↑ http://www.roma-antiqua.de/antikes_rom/kaiserforen/trajansmaerkte
  3. ↑ Heiner Knell: Emperor Trajan as builder. Power and rulership architecture. Darmstadt 2001, pp. 101-106.
  4. ↑ http://www.rilievoarcheologico.it/modello_mt_index.htm 3-D reconstruction .
  5. ↑ http://www.mercatiditraiano.it/
  6. ^ Frank Kolb: Ancient Rome. History and archeology. Beck, Munich 2007, p.?.
  7. ↑ http://www.mercatiditraiano.it/sede/mercati_di_traiano_storia
  8. ↑ Heiner Knell: Emperor Trajan as builder. Power and rulership architecture. Darmstadt 2001, pp. 101-106.
  9. ↑ http://en.mercatiditraiano.it/il_museo/editoriale

Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 44.2 "  N , 12 ° 29 ′ 10.6"  E