In the north-eastern corner of the Forum stood the covered market where the townspeople could buy the food they needed. Built during the Augustan age, its main entrances in the Forum and Via degli Augustali were lined with shops. It originally had a secondary entrance on Vico del Balcone Pensile which was later closed off when the Temple of the Public Lares was built.
The entrance under the colonnade in the Forum was divided into two gateways by a votive aedicula and led into the open space which was originally surrounded by a portico. The Temple number of shops opened out onto the right-hand side of the Macellum while the rear wall was divided into three areas.
The central room acted as a "sacellum" or shrine dedicated to the imperial household. It comprises four niches on the side walls (in which two unidentified statues were found) and a podium on the far wall. The left-hand chamber was used for sacrificial banquets while the room on the right with its long stone counter and drainage system was the fish market.
Gallery 3
