Seven Wonders - Rome | The Markets and Trajan's Forum (Episode 7)

Episode 7: Trajan, the optimus princeps, the emperor who led Rome to its maximum territorial expansion, had magnificent buildings built in the city, entrusting them to the brilliant architect Apollodorus of Damascus. Evidence of this is the Trajan's Market, a vast complex of buildings serving as an administrative centre, which stands out behind Trajan's Forum, on the slope of the Quirinal hill.

Trajan's Markets take the circular shape of the exedra and are built with the opus latericium technique, Roman concrete covered with bricks. Opposite the Markets was the sumptuous Forum of Trajan, the largest of the Forums, built to celebrate Rome's victory in the Dacian War. In the Forum, the Basilica Ulpia, dedicated to the emperor's family, and Trajan's Column, an unsurpassed work of art of Roman bas-relief, stood out for their beauty. The imprint of the Trajan era in the Imperial Forums is also visible in other buildings such as the Temple of Venus Genetrix, the Basilica Argentaria in the Forum of Caesar.

Trajan and Apollodorus, emperor and architect, created an exciting show that can be admired while walking along Via dei Fori Imperiali, one of the most beautiful and significant streets in the world.