Roman Emporium

Emporium

Emporium
Remains of the structures of the Emporium along the Tiber
Shown within Rome
Location	Rome (Italy)
Coordinates	41°52′26.70″N 12°28′18.18″E / 41.8740833°N 12.4717167°E / 41.8740833; 12.4717167
Type	River port
History
Founded	2nd century BC
Periods	Ancient Rome
Site notes
Excavation dates	1868-1870

The Emporium was the river port of the ancient Rome, that rose approximately between the Aventine Hill and the Rione Testaccio (the Rione takes its name from the hill made of broken amphorae, originated by the wastes from the trade activities of the port).

Since the beginning of the 2nd century BC, the impetuous economic and demographic development had made the former river port in the Forum Boarium totally inadequate: moreover, it could not be enlarged due to its vicinity to the hills. Therefore in 193 BC the censors Lucius Aemilius Lepidus and Lucius Aemilius Paulus established to face the problem by building a new port within a free area on the border of the town, south of the Aventine Hill. On that occasion the Porticus Aemilia was also erected.

In 174 BC the Emporium was paved with stones and divided with walls and ladders descending to the Tiber. Here there was the docking place of the wares and raw materials (especially marbles, wheat, wine, oil); they reached the harbor of Ostia by sea and went up the river on barges pulled by buffaloes (towpath). During the centuries, the fragments of the amphorae (then used as containers for the handling of liquid foods), were clumped until they created the still-existing hill of shards: the ancient name of Mons Testaceum ("Hill of Shards") derived from it. The number of stacked-up amphorae is esteemed to be about 25 millions.

During the reign of Trajan, new opus mixtum structures were erected, while the plain of Testaccio was gradually filled with warehouses, especially for foodstuffs, with a huge hike when free distributions of wheat and other foodstuffs to citizens began to take place, starting from the age of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus (Horrea Sempronia, Galbana, Lolliana, Seiana, Aniciana).