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Apollodorus was commissioned by Emperor Trajan to design and construct a forum, which was to be richer and more magnificent than any other forum ever built before. One of Emperor Trajan's main objectives in building the forum was to unite Roman citizens in the grandiose edifices of the Forum and the squares, where public spectacles, meetings, sacrifices and processions took place. He also thought there should be a place where Romans could conduct social interaction and business transactions. .
Apollodorus was selected once more .
to design the so-called Trajan Markets, .
a series of terraced buildings which .
included many stores for food provision, .
shops, craftsmen's workshops and tabernae.
As we head towards Trajan's Market, .
we walk across Trajan's Forum, by far the .
most impressive, largest and magnificent of all the other forums. The forum in itself, especially Trajan's Forum, is considered a great architectural perfection, but according to Alessandro, the markets are more interesting than the forums because of its more practical and utilitarian uses. The moment I found out I was being commissioned to travel to Italy to write an article for the travel magazine in search of great vacation getaways, I hit the books researching what I was to encounter. Nevertheless, there were some things I missed in my research that Alessandro has to explain. I find out that the markets were built to hide the blemish left by the carving of the hill that had been cut away in order to build the Forum.
We find ourselves walking in front of the main hemicycle as little children run around chasing sheep, before they are condemned to become woolen coats. Roman civilians scramble from store to store searching for their necessities, whether food to feed their families at night, or clothes to protect them from the scorching sun that strikes the city during the summer, or the chilling breezes that run across the city during the long winter months.
VOCABULARY Archaeology: the scientific study of ancient people and cultures principally revealed through excavation. Cromlech: a circle of megaliths. Henge: a Neolithic monument, characterized by a circular ground plan. Used for rituals and marking astronomical events. Megalith: a stone of great size used in the construction of a prehistoric structure. ...
