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Primary sourceArtifact113 (inaugurated)

Trajan's Market

Apollodorus of Damascus · 113 (inaugurated)

A multi-level brick market and office complex in Rome, built as part of Trajan's Forum, commissioned by Trajan.

Trajan commissioned this market complex as part of his forum, showing his civic and administrative building programme.

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Ruins of Trajan's Market in Rome: a long curved multi-story brick structure with rows of arched openings, a tall brick tower rising behind it, and scattered stone ruins in the foreground under a clear blue sky.
Trajan's Market, Rome, built c. 100–110 AD, inaugurated 113 AD.

About this source

What it is

Trajan's Market is a large complex of ruins in Rome, built as part of Trajan's Forum and set against the Quirinal Hill. It was probably built between 100–110 AD by Apollodorus of Damascus, Trajan's favoured architect, and inaugurated in 113 AD. The surviving brick and concrete structures include shops, apartments, and halls, and today house the Museum of the Imperial Fora.

Why it matters

The Market shows the practical, administrative side of Trajan's building programme, not just monuments celebrating military victories. It demonstrates the sophistication of Roman concrete and brick engineering, and the close working relationship between Trajan and his architect Apollodorus, who accompanied him on his campaigns.

Look closer

  • What does the multi-level design tell you about how Romans used urban space?
  • Why might historians now think these were offices rather than shops?
  • What does this building reveal about Trajan's priorities beyond warfare?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Trajan on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Apollodorus of Damascus · 113 AD

Plan drawing of the Imperial Fora in Rome. Labeled features include Trajan's Forum, Trajan's Column, Basilica Ulpia, Temple of Trajan, Libraries, Markets of Trajan, Forum of Augustus, Forum of Nerva, Temple of Peace, Forum of Caesar, and Curia, with a scale bar in metres and feet.Artifact

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Apollodorus of Damascus · c. 100-113 AD

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Panegyricus

Pliny the Younger · c. 100 AD

Front view of the Arch of Trajan in Benevento, a white marble Roman triumphal arch with carved relief panels and a long inscription on the attic, under a clear blue sky. Tourists stand on the paved square at left, and a tour bus and a small rounded shrub are visible on the right.Artifact

Secondary source

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114-117 AD

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Portrait of Trajan

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