Trajan's Market, Rome

Photo by Alfredo De Simone

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Trajan's Market and the Imperial Forums may be lesser known than the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill yet this ancient ruin is second to none. It's a living model of life in Ancient Rome. It tells 2,000 years of Rome's history. Much of it is still standing. It's easy to comprehend. The Imperial Forum Museum (Museo dei Fori Imperiali) is one of Rome's best. Started by Caesar and completed by Trajan, the Imperial Forums and markets of Trajan were the new center of the Roman Empire. The structures were bolder and flashier than previous buildings. They were built with wealth accumulated from wars. They conveyed the unquestioned authority of the Roman Emperors. The ruins consist of five monumental arcaded squares or foro - Forum of Caesar, Forum of Augustus, Temple of Peace, Forum of Nerva and Forum of Trajan - and an age-old shopping center. Trajan's Market, Mercati di Traiano in Italian, is notable for several reasons. It was built to hold up Quirinal hill. It linked the forums to the Subura or residential areas. This six story edifice built in 110 AD has been recycled and altered many times over the centuries. First an administrative center and complex of shops, Trajan's Market has been used as a fortress, convent, barracks and noble residence.

The Five Good Emperors of Ancient Rome

Five Roman Emperors - Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius - are considered wise and virtuous. They were good administrators, great scholars, big builders and adept military tacticians. They worked with the Senate rather than against it. They ruled from 96-180 AD. They governed the Roman Empire during the period of its greatest prosperity. Nerva changed the system for selecting the emperor from parentage to leadership skills. Trajan re-established Rome as a conquering force and was one of Empire's greatness scholars. Hadrian and Antoninus Pius were great administrators and peacekeepers. Marcus Aurelius defended the Empire on numerous battlefronts. Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius are known as the Five Good Emperors.

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Submitted on 08 March 2010 by snowedunder from Monza, Italy

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Trajan's Market and the Imperial Forums have been open to the public since 2007 yet this Rome attraction is overlooked by guidebooks. And even more surprisingly, there are few traveler reviews of this splendid archaeological site. That's a shame. It's one of the top attractions in Rome. Not just for adults. The museum and ruins are a hit with children. My 11-year-old daughter would return here again willingly. She doesn't have the same enthusiasm for the Roman Forum (exhausting) nor the Capitoline Museum (too much of the good thing). The ruins are small, compact and easy to comprehend. The museum is excellent.

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Trajan's Market, Rome

Photo by Alfredo De Simone

Overlooked by Guidebooks & Travel Sites

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