An unique monument, an entire region's symbol of life
In the center of Pozzuoli, a few steps from the port's docks, stands one of the most famous and representative monuments of the ancient world, famous both from an archaeological and scientific point of view: the Macellum of Pozzuoli, also known as the Temple of Serapis.
History
Dating back to the late Flavian age (second century AD), the Macellum of Pozzuoli owes its second name to the discovery of a statue of the Egyptian god Serapis, currently on display at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.
In reality it was not a religious structure, but the ancient market (in Latinm Macellum) of the Roman city of Puteoli. The collapse of the Macellum offers a perfect demonstration of the phenomenon of bradyseism that has affected the area of the Phlegraean Fields since the end of the fourth century AD.
Despite the decline that followed the ostentation of the Roman era, the Macellum never stopped attracting the attention of researchers, both archaeologists and geologists, going on to become one of the most popular destinations on the Grand Tour Midway through the eighteenth century, Carlo III di Borbone, attracted by the still visible remains, ordered an archaeological dig and had a lapidarium set up, the first in the Phlegraean area.
Heritage
The imposing monument consists of an uncovered quadrangular courtyard, paved with slabs of marble and surrounded on all sides by porticoes with columns in grey granite and Corinthian capitals.
The extremely valuable wall, decoration and architectural remains, all bear witness to a lavish, sumptuous monument, perhaps one of the most magnificent people's markets in ancient times, as well as one of the best preserved.
Its excellent state of preservation is due to the phenomenon of Bradyseismic submersion, that hid and protected it, down through the centuries, from the progressive spoliation of its most important architectural features.
