An ancient Roman porticus where
Romans got their free wheat until the third century AD is
showing its new splendour after a restoration in the bowels of a
Renaissance palazzo in the centre of Rome.
The Porticus Minucia Frumentaria, in the foundations of Palazzo
Lares Permarini, in via delle Botteghe Oscure, the southern part
of the ancient Campus Martius or Field of Mars, has been
restored in a project by Rome's archaeological superintendency
with funding from Finint Investments.
Among the elements brought to light are a sky blue band shining
out in the darkness, a black and white mosaic, and two newly
discovered imperial era lines of stone blocks that have enabled
researchers to make a fresh assessment of the ancient building's
three dimensions.
The find was made during work to restructure the palazzo and
turn it into a five-star hotel of the Radisson Collection line.
"It's a discovery that gives us a new and fundamental piece f
the mosaic in our knowledge of the Porticus, whose site was
known thanks to the Forma Urbis (ancient city map) but which we
can now reconstruct in an extremely reliable way, unveiling its
appearance more than had ever before been possible".
Erected by Marcus Minucius Rufus after his triumph over the
Balkan Celtic tribe the Scordisci in 106 BCE, and among the
buildings rebuilt by Emperor Domitian after the great fire of 80
CE, the Porticus Minucia was composed in the imperial era of a
double colonnade surrounding a huge central square, with an
imposing temple at its centre, where the bread part of the
'bread and circuses' recipe was distributed.
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