© 2018 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Shop til you drop?
Even the Romans did it a couple of thousand years ago!
With so many things to visit in the Colosseum area, it was a hard decision as to what my destination would be on the warm, sunny day…
The Colosseum?
The Forum?
The Palatine?
The Altare della Patria?
I hadn’t been shopping lately…maybe it was a good day to see the place believed to be the first shopping mall ever constructed.
The Trajan Market.
Today, the arcades in Trajan’s Market are known to not only have housed shopping but administrative offices for Emperor Trajan after its inauguration in 113 A.D. The complex included a covered market, small shop fronts and a residential apartment block. The structure comprised three levels, built into the adjacent hillside, with the ground level including alcoves used for small shops which opened onto the street.
Looking for a “Trajan Market” sign (or the Italian equivalent) marking the entrance, I must have walked past the actual entrance three or four times before I realized that the Museum of the Imperial Fora was where I needed to be.
The multilevel structure, opened in 2007, is a fascinating place filled with artifacts from all of ancient Rome’s forums and fills the space where the ancient mall once operated. The former shopping area was spread out on two different sides of the complex and the elegant marble floors and the remains of a library are still visible. The primary products sold at the market would have come from across the empire and included fruit, vegetables, fish, wine, oil and spices.
The name of the street on the upper level of the Market, Biberatica, gives a clue to what may have occupied the spaces here. The Latin word, biber, meaning drink gives rise to the notion that various drinking establishments were available to serve the market shoppers. This area was covered by a concrete vault which allowed air and light into the central space and the intricate brickwork is fascinating, both in its construction and the fact that it still remains almost flawless…as it was the day it was erected.
Walking to the far end of the building, I utilized the stairway and headed to the courtyard on the side of the market. Here, current exhibitions are on display and I was pleasantly surprised to discover The Spiral, an installation designed by artist Luminita Taranu, inspired by the Trajan’s Column. I loved the colorful hues and metals used in the creation of this masterpiece…and I loved the photo opportunities it presented!
Finally, I moved into the open rear area, entering the large halls, once probably used for auditions and concerts. As I walked through the smaller, concrete and brick spaces, I found some of the 170 total rooms empty and some housing information on the ancient marketplace.
Still, the most impressive part of the the complex was standing out on the top of the semicircular balcony, looking out over the ruins, including the Torre delle Milizie, built in 1200, and the neighboring Forum and Altare della Patria.
Walking back through the interior part of the compound, I took more time to inspect the intricacies of the construction and the pieces that occupied its interior.
No great sales were found, but I can say, it was a great deal to experience firsthand, what it must have been like to shop this extraordinary venue almost two thousand years ago.
For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.
Trajan Market and Museum of the Imperial Forums
- http://www.mercatiditraiano.it/
- Address: Via Quattro Novembre, 94, 00187 Roma RM, Italy
- Hours: 0930-1930, daily. 0930-1400, December 24 and 31. Closed January 1, May 1 and December 25
- Admission: Adults, €15.00. Reduced, €13.00. Citizens residing in the territory of Roma Capital (proof required). Reduced, €11.00. Includes museum entrance and exhibitions.
- Getting There: Take the metro, Blue line and get off at Colosseo.