macellum
Sign in to savethumb|The Macellum of Pompeii thumbnail|Pompeii, Italy, 1895. The Macellum. (Forum). Brooklyn Museum Archives, Goodyear Archival Collection. A macellum (: macella; , makellon) is an ancient Roman indoor market building that sold mostly provisions (especially meat and fish). The building normally sat alongside the forum and basilica, providing a place in which a market could be held. Each macellum sold different kinds of produce, depending on local availability, but it was not uncommon to import these comestibles, especially at ports like Pompeii.
Article
8 sectionsContents
- History
- Physical features
- List of ancient Macellums
- Macellum Liviae
- Macellum Magnum
- Macellum of Pozzuoli
- Macellum of Pompeii
- References
thumb|The Macellum of Pompeii thumbnail|Pompeii, Italy, 1895. The Macellum. (Forum). Brooklyn Museum Archives, Goodyear Archival Collection. A macellum (: macella; , makellon) is an ancient Roman indoor market building that sold mostly provisions (especially meat and fish). The building normally sat alongside the forum and basilica, providing a place in which a market could be held. Each macellum sold different kinds of produce, depending on local availability, but it was not uncommon to import these comestibles, especially at ports like Pompeii.
==History== The macellum was a food market, particularly for meat, fish and delicatessen. Plautus mentioned such a macellum in the second half of the 3rd century BC. The macellum was modeled after the agora of Greek and Hellenistic cities, except that there was no wholesale trade. The last macella were still in operation in Constantinople in the sixth century AD.