Macellum of Dougga
About
Thugga's covered market opened in 54 CE, a colonnaded courtyard of shops ending in an apse where a statue of Mercury watched over trade. Merchants sold meat, fish and produce here for centuries. By 117 CE the macellum had already served the town for 63 years, one of its oldest standing public buildings.
What happened here
Trade is regulated and everyone is aware of it. Weights and measures are checked against the standards kept by the aediles, and short measure gets you fined and named. Stalls are arranged by trade, with the fish and meat kept to one side and downwind where the town has any choice. Prices swing with the shipping season and are shouted rather than displayed. Much of the meat on sale has come from a sacrifice, so the religious calendar shows up in the supply. Slaves buying for a household argue harder than their owners would. The upper floors, where there are any, are offices and storage let by the town for rent. It opens at dawn and the good produce is gone by mid-morning.
Sources
Nearby
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