The macellum of Pompeii, one of the most important buildings of the ancient city, stands as a testament to the bustling commercial and social life that characterized Roman urban centers. Built in the second half of the second century BCE, this marketplace was strategically located on the north-east corner of the Roman Forum, serving as the primary venue for the sale of fresh foodstuffs, including meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables. The macellum was not merely a place of economic activity but also a vibrant social hub where citizens gathered, exchanged news, and engaged in daily interactions.

Its well-preserved ruins, uncovered through extensive archaeological excavations, offer valuable insights into the architectural design, usage, and cultural significance of marketplaces in ancient Roman society. Today, the macellum of Pompeii continues to captivate historians and visitors alike, providing a window into the intricate dynamics of commerce and community in a city frozen in time by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.

The building is known to have been constructed in several phases. When large parts of Pompeii were destroyed in the Vesuvian earthquake of 62 CE, the Macellum was also extensively damaged. Modern archeological excavations have revealed a large rectangular building that had still not been fully repaired by the time of second eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.

The floor plan of the Pompeian macellum is slightly misaligned in relation to the forum because it had to fit between the two roads that flanked it on the north and south, the Via degli Augustali and the Vico del Balcone Pensile. To compensate this, the shops that abut the forum on the west side increase in size from south to north.

circa 130-120 BCE

Outer Colonnade
Three much restored marble columns from the portico of the forum, with Corinthian capitals, remain standing in front of the facade. The lower third of two of the columns is decorated with piped fluting, while the upper portion lacks fluting. Part of the entablature remains on top of the capitals. The lobby of the Macellum was particularly closely connected to the portico of the forum. Two rows of columns rose one above the other with no intermediary level. Hence, the portico appeared more like a facade.

The bases for honorific statues, which stood behind each column, are also still in place, but they lack their original marble cladding. Further bases for honorific statues were located in front of the corner columns of the tabernae (shops) at the front of the building. These spaces constructed in opus incertum (rubble stonework) were probably currency exchanges. A further portico must have been located inside the Macellum itself, but none of its columns remain. The only recognizable traces are a water gully and signs of where columns stood in it.

circa 130-120 BCE

Western Shops

circa 130-120 BCE

Entrances
The macellum of Pompeii had three entrances from the north, south and west. The two main entrances were situated on the northern and western sides, one in the middle of the west side to the forum (VII.9.7-8) and one in the middle of the north side from the Via degli Augustali. A side entrance on the southeast could only be reached using a small stairway.

The main entrance from the west was divided into two by an aedicula for a statue with two elegant Corinthian columns. The statue was probably that of an emperor, in which case, the imperial cult is to be presumed to have begun at the entrance to the Macellum. Both columns are decorated with chimerae, which were not originally part of the Macellum, but belonged to one of the major tombs: the Tomba delle Ghirlande (Garland grave) on Via del Sepolchri (Street of Tombs) outside the Herculaneum gate in the west. The chimerae were presumably not produced in Pompeii, but probably originate in a workshop in Greece. However, it is also possible that they were manufactured in a neo-Attic workshop in Naples or Puteoli.

circa 130-120 BCE

Courtyard and the Central Kiosk
From either the entrances, one steps into a large courtyard. No remains of the expected portico were found, suggesting it was likely destroyed in the earthquake of 62 CE and not rebuilt by the time of the eruption. Excavations revealed the travertine base (stylobate) for a colonnade on the north side and a smaller one on the west side, indicating that the portico columns had probably not been erected. Further evidence of reconstruction includes the walls of the inner enclosure and the areas to the south and east, which also date to the post-62 CE restoration and are made of opus incertum. Only the corner columns are constructed with bricks and small tuff cubes in opus listatum, a masonry technique where bricks alternate with small stones.

circa 130-120 BCE

Shrine of the Imperial Cult
Of particular interest to researchers is the section of the Macellum located on the east side that is thought to have been dedicated to the imperial cult. It makes manifest how central a role the emperors played in the lives of Romans as early as the 1st century.

circa 130-120 BCE

Northern Shops
Twelve food stores (tabernae) were constructed on both sides of the north-side entrance. They were positioned on the north side to protect their goods from strong sunlight and keep them fresh. Items such as figs, grapes, chestnuts, pulses, bread, cakes, amphorae, and jarred fruits (now housed in the Naples Museum) were found here. These tabernae opened onto the Via degli Augustali and were not connected to the interior of the macellum. The east wall and western parts of the north wall are built of opus incertum up to a height of 1.35 meters, above which they consist of limestone and tuff. Above the stores, there would have been attics where butcher's assistants and other staff lived, with a wooden gallery running in front of the attics. Since no interior stairs were discovered, access to these attics must have been from outside the macellum.

circa 65 CE

Mythological Paintings
Today only two paintings in the Fourth Style (circa 65 CE) still survive on the inner northern and western walls of the Macellum at Pompeii. It apparently dates to the period after the great earthquake of 62 CE. Above the plinth are painted fields of black bordered in red. The scene in the first panel on the western wall is identified with Io, indicated by her horns, and Argos, her watchman.

On the north wall a near duplicate scene of the Io-Argos panel is depicted in an interior setting. This painting has been commonly interpreted as Penelope's meeting with, and interrogation of, thedisguised Odysseus upon hisreturn home to ancient Ithaca as narrated in the Odyssey.

Between the individual panels are architectural vistas on a white background, with green and pale red buildings depicted in perspective.

The delicate architectonic elements dominate the black panels and divide the upper area into fields in which single figures are depicted on a blue background. A girl with sacrificial equipment and a satyr playing an aulos can be seen. Above these, on large wall panels are painted still lifes with birds, poultry, wine-jars, fruit, flowers, baskets, and fish in a style similar to folk art. These depictions facilitate the identification of the building as a macellum. Another picture shows a donkey being crowned with garlands by Cupids. Millstones can be seen beside it. This painting probably symbolizes the festival of Vesta, on which the donkeys were relieved of work.