Considered
to be one of the world’s first shopping
malls, this multi-levelled palace was
a beauty to behold and was considered
to be one of the wonders of the ancient
world. Archaeological evidence shows that
over 150 shops sold things such as flowers,
fish, vegetables, fruit, cloth, and silks.
Wares were brought from all over the known
world were brought to be sold in the Forum,
and to a Roman it must have been one excellent
place to hang out. The upper level was
most likely used for selling wines and
oils because archaeologists found many
storage jugs of varying size and shape.
At
the center of the Forum is what is known
as Trajan’s column. Built to commemorate
the victory over the Dacian’s (what
is now modern Romania), it stood 97 feet
tall and it had a frieze wrapped around
it that is 650 feet long. Built in 113
AD, the column depicts armies building
a bridge over his river Danube, soldiers
building a fortress with Emperor Trajan
looking on, and a picture of the Dacian’s
attacking a fortress. There are windows
in the column that let light into an interior
staircase, which winds up the height of
the column’s interior. When Trajan
died in 117 AD his ashes were put in gold
containers and placed in the base of the
column.
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