About
There is no doubt that this ancient market is one of the oldest shopping malls in the world.
The illustrious Trajan is considered to be one of the most celebrated Roman emperors for his expansion of the empire to its peak size. He was the mastermind behind the initiative of constructing a large forum around 105 CE, which included a market as its nucleus element. Reportedly, Apollodorus of Damascus, a trusted friend and architect of Trajan’s devised this project. It has been given the title of “the world's oldest shopping mall” frequently today. It appears that shops were arranged in multiple storey structures including administrative offices and a library. An upper level avenue-Via Biberatica-named after the Latin word for “drink” hints towards the existence of numerous bars alongside it. In ancient Rome, customers could purchase fruits, vegetables, fish, wine, oil and spices from the market. Furthermore, free wheat was distributed to civilians once too.
