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Basilica Aemilia

Coordinates: 41°53′33″N 12°29′10″E / 41.892554°N 12.48623°E / 41.892554; 12.48623
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Basilica Aemilia
Computer generated reconstruction of the basilica as it appeared under Augustus
Basilica Aemilia is located in Rome
Basilica Aemilia
Basilica Aemilia
Shown in ancient Rome
Map
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LocationRegio IV Templum Pacis
Coordinates41°53′33″N 12°29′10″E / 41.892554°N 12.48623°E / 41.892554; 12.48623
TypeBasilica
History
BuilderMarcus Fulvius Nobilior
Founded179 BC

The Basilica Aemilia (Italian: Basilica Emilia) or the Basilica Paulli, was a civil basilica in the Roman Forum. It was initially constructed by Lucius Aemilius Paullus, and was completed by his son Paullus Aemilius Lepidus in 33 BCE. In 22 CE, it was reconstructed under Augustus and was described by Pliny to be among the most beautiful buildings in the Roman world.[1] Today on the site, only fragments of the floorplan and colonnade remain, but a continuous sculptural frieze from the lower entablature was partially reconstructed and is preserved inside the neighboring Curia Julia.

History

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Pre-existing structures

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According to Livy, a series of butcher shops (tabernae lanienae) lined the central area of the Forum from the early Roman Republic era.[2] Varro writes that by 310 BCE, the butchers had been relocated outside of the Forum and their storefronts were turned over to bankers (tabernae argentariae).[3] A fire in 210 BCE destroyed these tabernae and Livy refers to the newly built shops as argentariae novae.[4] Based on their use as landmarks by Cicero when describing the Forum,[5] is it certain that the argentariae novae occupied the northern side of the Forum, putting them directly in front of what would eventually become the Basilica Aemilia. Above these tabernae were maeniana, or viewing galleries, for sporting events held in the Forum.[6]

In two of his plays, Plautus mentions a basilica in proximity the tabernae in the Forum[7] and the nearby Shrine of Venus Cloacina the Forum,[8] leading scholars to believe that the first basilica on this site may have been built after the fire of 210 BCE[9], possibly in 195-191.[10] Archaeologists have uncovered the original foundations from this basilica made of Monteverde tuff, and evidence of a northeast portico facing the Forum Piscarium.[9]

Basilica Fulvia

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Livy reports that in 179 BCE, the consuls Marcus Fulvius Nobilior and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus directed the construction of a new basilica behind the argentariae novae in the Forum.[11] Varro records that a water clock was installed by Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio in 159 BCE near the "Basilica Aemilia et Fulvia,"[12] which is the first reference to the basilica by these names.[9] The contribution of the Aemilia gens to the basilica continued in 78 BCE when another consul named Marcus Aemilius Lepidus was reported by Pliny to have adorned the structure with shields.[13] In fact, Roman coins from 61 BCE depict the two-storied basilica with circular ornamentation between two colonnaded registers, possibly representing of the shields placed by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.[14]

The basilica's foundations consisted of Grotta oscura tuff upholding a travertine floor. A colonnade fronted the pre-existing tabernae and ran along the entire length of the southwest facade. The groundbreaking architectural development of the Basilica Fulvia was the enlargement of the central nave, which was supported by two rows of columns that created an unbroken and expansive interior plane. This contrasted greatly with the hypostyle layout of the Greek stoai that the earliest Roman basilicas were modeled after, where columns dominated the interior space.[15] No architectural elements of the Basilica Fulvia can be seen on the site today.[9]

Basilica Aemilia/Paulli

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The remains of Basilica Aemilia.

In the year 50 BCE, Julius Caesar "...gave the consul Paulus fifteen hundred talents with which he added to the beauty of the forum by building the famous Basilica which was erected in the place of the one called "the Fulvia".[16] [check quotation syntax]

A new edifice in substitution of the Basilica Fulvia was begun in 55 BC by Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus, and inaugurated by his son in 34 BC. This edifice had similar lines to the preceding one; however with a reduced length and a second nave in lieu of the back portico.[citation needed]

The columns in the central nave, in African marble, had Corinthian capitals and friezes with deeds from the history of Republican Rome. The columns in the second row were in cipolline marble and, finally, the external ones had Ionic capitals.[citation needed]

After a fire, Augustus in 14 BC heavily restored the edifice.[17] In this occasion the tabernae which preceded it towards the Forum square and the portico were totally rebuilt. The latter was dedicated to the emperor's two grandsons (Porticus Gai et Luci): it had two orders of arcades with pilasters and Doric semi-columns. The two upper floors of the basilica were totally rebuilt. Over the upper order an attic was built, decorated with vegetable elements and statues of barbarians.[citation needed]

The basilica was restored again in 22 AD. On its two-hundredth anniversary, the Basilica Aemilia was considered by Pliny to be one of the most beautiful buildings in Rome. It was a place for business and, in the porticus of Gaius and Lucius (the grandsons of Augustus) fronting the Roman Forum, there were the Tabernae Novae (New Shops). The main hall or court (100 m long and 29.9 m deep) was located behind the shops.[citation needed]

The wooden roof, the Tabernae as well as the facade of the basilica were completely destroyed by fire when Rome was sacked by Alaric the Visigoth in 410 AD. On the colored marble floor one still can see the green stains of bronze coins from the early fifth century that melted in the fire.[17] The basilica was rebuilt after the fire by adding a new floor while the central part of the front porch was replaced by a portico in c.420 with columns of pink granite on bases, much more dense than the pillars of the porch above (three of these columns were rebuilt after the excavations and are still on the east side toward the temple of Antoninus and Faustina). An earthquake in 847 caused the final collapse of the remaining structure. The remains were used as building material. Conspicuous remains of the basilica could still be seen in the Renaissance, they were however used for the Palazzo Giraud Torlonia.[citation needed]

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  • Drawing of the remains of the Basilica Aemilia, at the Roman Forum, by Giuliano da Sangallo, 1480.
    Drawing of the remains of the Basilica Aemilia, at the Roman Forum, by Giuliano da Sangallo, 1480.
  • Image of the façade of the Basilica Aemilia, on a Roman coin minted by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in 61 BC
    Image of the façade of the Basilica Aemilia, on a Roman coin minted by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in 61 BC

References

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  1. ^ Pliny the Elder. "The Natural History, Book XXXVI. The Natural History of Stones., Chap. 24.— Marvellous Buildings at Rome, Eighteen in Number". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  2. ^ Livius (Livy), Titus. "The History of Rome, Book 1, chapter 35". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  3. ^ Varro, Marcus Terentius; Kettner, Karl Christian Hermann (1863). De vita populi romani ad Q. Caecilium Pomponianum Atticum librorum quattuor quæ extant. The Library of Congress. Halae, formis Hendeliis. p. 31.
  4. ^ "Titus Livius (Livy), The History of Rome, Book 40, chapter 51". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  5. ^ "M. Tullius Cicero, Lucullus, section 70". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  6. ^ Platner, Samuel Ball; Ashby, Thomas. "A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  7. ^ "T. Maccius Plautus, Captivi, act 4, scene 2". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  8. ^ "T. Maccius Plautus, Curculio, or The Forgery, act 4, scene 1". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d Bauer, Heinrich (2005). "Basilica Fulvia". In Steinby, Eva Margareta (ed.). Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae (in Italian). Vol. 1. Rome: Edizioni Quasar. pp. 173–175.
  10. ^ Gorski, Gilbert J.; Packer, James E. (2015). The Roman Forum: A Reconstruction and Architectural Guide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 91–115.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  11. ^ "Titus Livius (Livy), The History of Rome, Book 40, chapter 51". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  12. ^ Varro, Marcus Terentius; Kent, Roland G. (Roland Grubb) (1938). On the Latin language. Pratt - University of Toronto. London : W. Heinemann. pp. 176–177.
  13. ^ "Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, BOOK XXXV. AN ACCOUNT OF PAINTINGS AND COLOURS". www.perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  14. ^ "British Museum, 1867,0101.1119".
  15. ^ Perkins, J. B. Ward (1954). "Constantine and the Origins of the Christian Basilica". Papers of the British School at Rome. 22: 69–90. ISSN 0068-2462.
  16. ^ Plutarch. Life of Caesar. 29.2.
  17. ^ a b Mozzati, Luca (2001). Rome: Computerized Reconstruction of Sites and Monuments. Milano, Italy: Mondadori Electa. ISBN 88-435-7790-5.

Bibliography

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