Trajan's Market

Trajan was the Roman Emperor from 98 AD-117 AD, and during that time, he wanted to leave a legacy like no other. Trajan aspired to construct a massive structure that could serve as a communal forum and allow vendors and merchants to sell their goods to the people of Rome. In 113 AD, through the use of brilliant Roman architecture and the labor of many, Trajan's Market was born.

Located on the Via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome, the market made fruit, vegetables, fish, wine, and oil available to the public for purchase in one convenient location. Trajan's Market was a luxury to the people of ancient Rome, but today, the remains allow modern historians to marvel at yet another example of the brilliance of ancient Roman architects and carpenters.

Semicircular facades made out of brick pilasters were a major element incorporated in the construction of the Trajan’s Market. Travertine was used at the base of the building and brick archways filled the second level. The semi-circle floor plan was chosen due to it strength and rigidity, necessary because Trajan’s Market was designed into a cliff-side. This design helped prevent collapsing land from the hill side falling into the market. (Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire). This semicircle layout and use of arches like on the second level were innovations that made Trajan's Market unique. It was also the first large multi-story building in Rome. This multi-story design can also be found in the Torre Delle Millizie, constructed in 1200 A.D. While multi-story buildings were generally better for defense then single-story ones, the Torre Delle Millizie was intended to be used for defensive purposes and Trajan's Market was not (Cartwright).

Trajan's Market was designed by Apollodorus of Damascus in 100-110 AD. Apollodorus was a Syrian-Greek engineer, architect, designer, and sculptor who did work during the second century A.D. Apollodorus was a highly sought-after individual with a military background who often accompanied and aided Trajan on his military conquests (Augustyn et al.). He designed and oversaw the construction of the Forum, Markets, Baths, Bridge, and Column of Trajan. He was also credited with the design of the Parthenon and the stadium of Domitian (Wikipedia).

The large, spectacular complex known as Trajan’s Market was used for various key activities in ancient Roman life. This market is best known for its abundance of shops, offices, and warehouses. Citizens would gather here primarily to shop and do business. Trajan’s Market is even known as the world’s first shopping mall. The bulk of the shops were located on the lower level of the market. These shops were called tabernae, and goods such as wine, oil, fruit, and vegetables were bought and sold within them (Ermengem). Customers would purchase these goods with special tokens that they bought before shopping. Also on the lower level of the market was an open space known as the Great Hall where it is believed that events such as concerts, speeches, and teaching occurred (Bhorphukan).

Although the lower levels of Trajan’s Market were the busiest part of the complex, the upper levels were home to many important functions as well. These upper levels included offices from where the market was managed, warehouses to store goods, and even apartment complexes. The upper level of the complex was next to the street named Biberatica, stemming from the Latin word biber, meaning drink. (Cartwright). This suggests that there might have been street-front shops on this upper-level that served shoppers drinks. Trajan’s Market was in use as a shopping mall, office space, apartment complex, and community gathering spot for about two centuries (Bhorphukan).

It is safe to say that Trajan’s Market was a professionally constructed establishment. Its construction required the planning of professional Roman architects and the building skills of Roman carpenters and professionally informed and skilled labor. This was mostly due to the extensive cutting and shaping of the stone and other materials . Labor was used to manually turn the wheels that would slowly lift the massive stones and other materials up using a device similar to a modern day crane (Prothin: Cortland University). This is how materials were appropriately positioned to construct the market. 

Built by Roman laborers, the project is thought to have been overseen by higher ranking foreman or project leaders. The work force was gathered from nearby and involved a variety of talents, not just manpower. Architects required significant knowledge of structure and construction in order to plan a geometrically stable establishment that could serve the required needs. Carpenters required the tools and knowledge of how to properly put together the plan that the architects had conceived (Lancaster: American Journal of Archaeology). While there was much manual labor, Trajan’s Market is also another example of the structural brilliance and intelligence that Romans possessed. 

The materials and building strategy of Trajan’s Market deviate little from typical Roman architecture of the time. Roman concrete, travertine, clay bricks, and stucco were among the main materials commonly used. Roman concrete is a fascinating ancient technology considering it is often much more durable than modern concrete. The key ingredients in the cement include volcanic ash collected from abundant, naturally occurring tuff deposits in and around Rome, as well as limestone, salt water, and large aggregate rocks (Couch). Travertine is a porous calcium carbonate stone that was mostly mined from quarries in nearby Tivoli, and is easy to cut and shape (Couch). Bricks were manufactured from clay en masse for most buildings, and were commonly thin and wide.

The prevailing technique used to build the walls was with opus testaceum (or latericium): first taking a large square brick, then breaking it into several triangular bricks to stack about 5 feet, followed by filling in the open space with concrete, and finally covering with a layer of larger square bricks that went all the way through (Lancaster). Several courses of this technique could be stacked. This technique is likely earliest used in the Colusseum (Lancaster). The bricks were later covered with stucco on the interior. The frames about the openings of each store appear to be carved from travertine. The ceiling of the market’s central hallway was made entirely of roman concrete, which required wooden framing to accomplish, and this had to be done in a way such that the wooden forms could easily be removed when complete (Couch). In the same way, the many arches in the hemicycle also required wooden framing for the bricks to fit around.

Due to the Qirinal hill being in the way of the construction, much effort was spent carving into it before building into the hillside. The main issue of building into a hillside is maintaining a level foundation, which the Romans could accomplish with tools such as the chorobates and the groma (Couch). They used common set heights all along the hemicycle to ensure a level foundation. In fact, it is likely that this foundation allowed for the upper levels to begin construction before the vaults of the previous level were in place (Lancaster).

Trajan’s Market still stands today but is no longer used for its original purpose. It has served multiple purposes during its lifetime. Currently, it is a tourist attraction where visitors can marvel at an incredible feat of Roman engineering. Although it now is used for a different purpose than the one Trajan intended when he ordered the construction of the facility, the market still brings enlightenment and joy to the people of Rome and tourists alike. There is no doubt that the market brought with it the legacy that Trajan longed for as well as increased accessibility to many different products for the people of ancient Rome.

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