Trajan’s Markets and the Museum of the Imperial Fora
Trajan’s Markets form a complex of monumental constructions connected to Trajan’s Forum , stretching from via Alessandrina to largo Magnanapoli. This is where the Romans cut through the lower slopes of the Quirinal hill, with a series of terraces to support the extensive building complex.
The superb architect who designed the entire project is almost unanimously recognised as Apollodorus of Damascus, during the reign of the Emperor Trajan.
With regard to the actual use of the complex, the traditional interpretation of “markets” has been superseded nowadays by the concept of a sort of management centre, a series of buildings with different functions, interconnecting on a multi-level system.
The current state of conservation is due to the fact that the area was constantly in use from the Middle Ages until the beginning of the twentieth century and the “rediscovery” and the restoration led by Corrado Ricci from 1926 to 1934, in the context of excavations in the Imperial Fora.
The current entrance is located in the Great Hall, an incredibly imposing space, probably designated for archives and official ceremonies. Beside this is the Main Wing, with rooms on ground level and a further three floors above.
This part of the complex was most likely the headquarters of the procurator of Trajan’s Forum, the high ranking official who managed all the activities in the Forum. Just behind this area are gardens and the medieval Tower of the Militia.
The Museum of the Imperial Fora was installed in both the Great Hall and the Main Wing after excavations carried out in the Great Jubilee year 2000 brought new items to the collections including sculptural decorations and architectural fragments now on display.
We will continue our visit along the via Biberatica, a paved street which separated the upper part of the complex from the lower section, and includes, from the level of the Forum itself, the Great Hemicycle on three floors with two large halls on each side and the Small Hemicycle adjacent to the modern buildings on via Quattro Novembre.
