The Basilica Aemilia (), or the Basilica Paulli, was a civil basilica in the Roman Forum. Lucius Aemilius Paullus initiated its construction, but the building was completed by his son, Paullus Aemilius Lepidus, in 34 BCE. Under Augustus, it was reconstructed in 22 CE and was described by Pliny as one of the most beautiful examples of Roman architecture.[Pliny the Elder, Natural History 36.24.] Today, only fragments of the floorplan and colonnade remain, but a sculptural frieze from the basilica's interior was partially reconstructed and is now preserved in the Museo Nazionale Romano.
History
Pre-existing structures
According to
Livy, a series of butcher shops (
tabernae lanienae) lined the central area of the Forum from the early
Roman Republic era.
[Gorski and Packer, , 91.] Varro writes that by 310 BCE, the butchers were expelled from the Forum and their former storefronts turned over to the bankers (
tabernae argentariae). The
argentarii’s central location in the Forum illustrates Rome’s increasing reliance on financial infrastructure to conduct foreign policy, as this was the place where envoys were received, agreements negotiated, and military operations underwritten.
A fire in 210 BCE destroyed these
and Livy referred to the newly built shops as
argentariae novae.
Based on
Cicero description of the Forum,
it is certain that the
argentariae novae occupied the northern side of the Forum, placing them directly in front of what would eventually become the Basilica Aemilia. Above these
tabernae were
Maenianum, or viewing galleries for sporting events and parades held in the Forum.
[Platner and Ashby, Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome, 72-76.]
In two of his plays, Plautus mentions an unnamed basilica near the tabernae in the Forum[Bauer, "Basilica Fulvia," 173.] possibly between 195 and 191 BCE.[Steinby, "Basilica Aemilia," 167.]
Basilica Fulvia
Livy reports that in 179 BCE, the
Roman consul Marcus Fulvius Nobilior and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus directed the construction of a new basilica behind the
argentariae novae in the Forum.
Varro records that a water clock was installed by Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio in 159 BCE near the "
Basilica Aemilia et Fulvia,"
marking the first textual reference to the basilica by that name.
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.
Roman coins from 61 BCE depict the two-storied basilica with circular ornamentation between two colonnaded registers, possibly representing the shields said to have been placed there by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.
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 façade. The most groundbreaking architectural feature 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 stood in stark contrast to the hypostyle layout of the Greek , on which the earliest Roman basilicas were modeled, where columns dominated the interior space.[Perkins, 71.] Today, only a portion of the foundations can be seen beneath a canopy to the northwest of the site.
Basilica Aemilia/Paulli
Construction of a new basilica on the site appears to have begun by 55 BCE under Lucius Aemilius Paullus, as recorded by
Appian.
reports that in 50 BCE,
Julius Caesar may have bribed the Paullus family by gifting 1,500 talents for the beautification of the basilica in exchange for their political neutrality during his conflict with
Pompey.
Cicero writes that this new basilica reused columns from the earlier Basilica Fulvia.
It was completed in 34 BCE by Paullus's son, Paullus Aemilius Lepidus,
but a fire in 14 BCE destroyed much of the structure.
That same year, a second phase of construction occurred under Augustus, who dedicated the new edifice to the
gens Aemilia.
In 2 BCE, Augustus also dedicated the newly monumentalized portico above the
tabernae to his grandsons
Gaius Caesar and
Lucius Caesar.
[Claridge, Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide, 69-71.] All this occurred at a time when the emperor began to exert absolute control over all construction in the Roman Forum, and it is clear that Augustus also prioritized projects that had historical associations with Julis Caesar. The
gens Aemilia also had strong familial connections with Augustus, since Paullus Aemilius Lepidus married Augustus' stepdaughter Cornelia
[Kampen, 448].
The Basilica Aemilia stood for nearly 400 years in the Roman Forum, undergoing a restoration in 22 CE under the direction of the senator Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.
A portion of the basilica's floorplan appears on a small fragment of the Forma Urbis Romae, showing the
tabernae along the southwest side and an interior colonnade with the inscription "
BASILICA."
The basilica was ultimately destroyed during the sack of Rome in 410 CE by
Alaric I and his
Visigoths army, as evidenced by bronze coins burned into the pavement that remain visible on the site today.
[Kalas, Restoration of the Roman Forum in Late Antiquity, 112-114.] While the
tabernae remained in use until the 6th century, the site itself fell into disrepair throughout the early Middle Ages. In 847, an earthquake destroyed what little remained of the structure.
During the Renaissance, architects reused the basilica's building materials as
spolia, notably at the
Palazzo Torlonia.
[Bauer, "Basilica Paulli," 186.] A drawing by Giuliano da Sangallo from 1480 depicts the Basilica Aemilia in a ruinous state.
Giacomo Boni was the first archaeologist to excavate the site from 1898 to 1912, uncovering the tabernae, portico, and basilica. Alfonso Bartoli continued excavations from 1922 to 1940, clearing the site to reveal the shops underneath the portico along the Via Sacra. In 1939, the Roman city government declared the full "liberation" of the basilica.[Gorski and Packer, , 94.] By 1948, under Pietro Romanelli and Gianfilippo Carettoni, much of the basilica's interior colonnade was excavated. Heinrich Bauer's research, beginning in the early 1970s, reshaped academic reconstructions of the basilica. In the 21st century, new work by Klaus Freyberger, Christine Etel, and Johannes Lipps continues to reveal more about the basilica and its function.
Description
Location
The Basilica Aemilia is located on the northeast edge of the Roman Forum, running parallel to the
Via Sacra. It is flanked on either side by the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, and the Curia Julia, putting it at the heart of civic, economic, and religious activity in the city of Rome. The
Cloaca Maxima runs underneath the basilica, as evidenced by the presence of the nearby Shrine of Venus Cloaca, located in front of the
tabernae facing the Forum. In the late first century CE, the construction of the Temple of Peace and the Forum of Nerva to the north of the basilica rendered the southern façade facing the Via Sacra and Forum the most visible.
Exterior
The basilica stood on a
tufa podium with a continuous marble staircase on three sides, granting access from the Forum to the southwest-facing porticus. Its façade featured
Engaged column Doric order with fluted shafts,
, and capitals decorated with
egg-and-dart molding. Each bay of the entablature included five
, four
alternating between
Bucranium and decorative shields, and a richly carved
cornice with
and projecting
. All three façades were topped with a Doric entablature and attic, and decorated bases supported colossal statues of
Parthian Empire prisoners above the half-columns. These figures, possibly numbering at least eighteen, were carved from
Pavonazzo marble and
giallo antico, with Pentelic marble heads. Between each statue were niches intended for
Imago clipeata, likely recalling earlier commemorative portraits installed by Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in 78 BCE.
[Gorski and Packer, , 107-110.]
A fragmentary pediment shown in the drawing by Giuliano da Sangello at the west end suggests that the basilica featured a wooden Gable roof at its east and west end. Additional decorative and architectural elements were concentrated along the building's northern and southern flanks. The outermost colonnade, forming a shallow porch, was constructed with shafts of Cipollino marble, but was later walled off in the late 1st century CE, due to the nearly Temple of Peace and Forum of Nerva.
Interior
Several passageways between the shops lining the southern end of the basilica granted access to the central hall. The expansive interior, nearly 100 meters long and 30 meters wide, was entirely clad in marble, with richly colored marble flooring and African marble columns in both the Ionic and Corinthian orders. It consisted of a central nave surrounded by a single aisle, with an additional aisle on the northern end.
Along the interior walls, reliefs depicted a series of scenes from Roman history, ranging from the city’s mythic origins to the triumphs of the Augustan age. Mythological episodes such as the rape of the Sabine Women, the duel between Romulus and Remus, and the punishment of Tarpeia appeared alongside more historical scenes, many of which centered on the gens Aemilia. This interplay of legendary and historical narratives allowed ancient Roman viewers to absorb the moral virtues of their heroic ancestors while drawing favorable associations with the princeps and his allies.[Freyberger, "Basilica Aemilia," 45-53.]
File:Frieze Basilica Aemilia Massimo n1.jpg|Duel between Romulus and Remus
File:Frieze Basilica Aemilia Massimo n2.jpg|Building Rome's fortification walls
File:Frieze Basilica Aemilia Massimo n3.jpg|Punishment of Tarpeia
File:Frieze Basilica Aemilia Massimo n4.jpg|Wedding scene
Function
Like many Roman basilicas, the Basilica Aemilia may have been used as a civil court or as a place to conduct business. The presence of the shops along the southern end of the building suggests that the basilica served primarily as a place of commercial activity.
Along with the bronze coin burned into the structure during the sack of Rome in 410, archaeologists have uncovered bolts with nail holes, and metal fittings in the debris that may have come from wooden counters placed between the interior columns where shopkeepers or bankers may have stocked their most costly items. Furthermore, markings in the pavement indicate that certain areas of the basilica were used for gambling.
[Gorski and Packer, , 111.]
Bibliography
-
Bauer, Heinrich. "Basilica Fulvia." In Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae. Supplementum. I, Carta archeologica di Roma. Primo quadrante, edited by Eva Margareta Steinby. Edizioni Quasar, 2005. (In Italian)
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Bauer, Heinrich. "Basilica Paulli." In Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae. Supplementum. I, Carta archeologica di Roma. Primo quadrante, edited by Eva Margareta Steinby. Edizioni Quasar, 2005. (In Italian)
-
Amanda Claridge. Rome: An Oxford Archaeological Guide. Oxford University Press, 2010.
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Freyberger, Klaus Stefan. "Basilica Aemilia: Luxurious Building in the Center of the Urbs." In Memorie di Roma: Gli Aemilii e la basilica nel Foro, edited by Maria Antonietta Tomei. Electa, 2010.
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Gorski, Gilbert, and James E. Packer. . Cambridge University Press, 2015.
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Kalas, Gregor. The Restoration of the Roman Forum in Late Antiquity: Transforming Public Space. University of Texas Press, 2015.
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Natalie Kampen. Klio 73 (1991): 448-458.
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Perkins, John Bryan Ward. Papers of the British School at Rome 22 (1954): 69-90.
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Platner, Samuel Ball and Thomas Ashby. A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Oxford University Press, 1929.
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Steinby, Eva Margareta. "Basilica Aemilia." In Lexicon Topographicum Urbis Romae. Supplementum. I, Carta archeologica di Roma. Primo quadrante, edited by Eva Margareta Steinby. Edizioni Quasar, 2005. (In Italian)
Further reading
In English
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Hülsen, Christian. 1909. The Roman Forum, its history and its monuments. Translated by Jesse Benedict Carter. Loescher. see
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Van Deman, Esther Boise. "The Porticus of Gaius and Lucius." American Journal of Archaeology 17 (Jan.-Mar. 1913): 14-28.
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Furuhagen, Hans. "Some remarks on the sculpted frieze of the Basilica Aemilia in Rome." Opuscula Romana 3 (1961): 139-155.
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Dudley, Donald R. Urbs Roma: A source book of classical texts on the city & its monuments. London: Phiadon Press, 1967. pp.
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Albertson, Fred C. "The Basilica Aemilia Frieze: Religion and Politics in Late Republican Rome." Latomus 49 (1990): 801-815.
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Lehmann, Phyllis Williams. "The Basilica Aemilia and S. Biagio at Montepulciano." The Art Bulletin
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Richardson, Lawrence. A new topographical dictionary of ancient Rome. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992. pp.
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Cancik, Hubert and Helmuth Schneider (eds.) Brill's New Pauly Encyclopedia of the Ancient World: Vol. 2, Ark-Cas. Leiden: Brill, 2003. pp.
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Schneider, Rolf Michael. "Context Matters: Pliny’s Phryges and the Basilica Paulli in Rome." In The Archaeology of Greece and Rome: Studies in Honour of Anthony Snodgrass, edited by John Bintliff and Keith Rutter, pp. 402–433. Edinburgh University Press, 2016.
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Vacinová, Lenka. Acta Universitatis Carolinae Philologica 2 (2017): 45-55.
In Italian
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Carettoni, Gianfilippo. "Esplorazioni nella Basilica Emilia." Notizie degli Scavi di Antichità (1948): 111-128.
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Alfonso Bartoli. "Il fregio figurato della Basilica Emilia." Bulletino d'Arte (1950): 289-294.
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Carettoni, Gianfilippo. "Il fregio figurato della Basilica Emilia." Rivista dell'istituto nazionale di archeologia e storia dell'arte 24 (1961): 5-78.
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Gaggiotti, Marcello. "Atrium Regium - Basilica, Aemilia: una insospettata continuità storica e una chiave ideologica per la soluzione del problema dell'origine della basilica." Analecta romana instituti Danici 14 (1985): 53-80.
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Steinby, Eva Margareta. "ll lato orientale del Foro Romano: Proposte di lettura." Arctos: Acta Philologica Fennica 21 (1987): 139-184.
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Arya, Darius. "Il fregio della Basilica Paulli (Aemilia)." In Roma: Romolo, Remo e la fondazione della città. Edited by Andrea Carandini and Rosanna Cappelli, pp. 303–319. Milan: Electa, 2000.
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Appetecchia, Agostina. "I pavimenti marmorei praticamente inediti della Basilica Iulia e della Basilica Aemilia al Foro Romano." In Atti del XII colloquio dell'Associazione Italiana per lo Studio e la Conservazione del Mosaico. Edited by Claudia Angelelli and A. Paribeni, pp. 221–230. Tivoli, 2007.
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Ertel, Christine and Klaus S. Freyberger. "Nuove indagini sulla Basilica Emilia nel Foro Romano." Archeologia Classica 58 (2007): 109-142.
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Zampa, Paola. Una bella descrizione da essere considerata: l'angolo della basilica Emilia. Rome: Campisano editore, 2019.
In German
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Fuchs, Günter. "Zur Baugeschichte der Basilica Aemilia in republikanischer Zeit." Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Römische Abteilung 63 (1956): 14-25.
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Wegner, Max. "Bauschmuck der Basilica Aemilia am Forum Romanum." Römanische Mitteilungen 94 (1987): 325-329.
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Bauer, Heinrich. "Basilica Aemilia." In Kaiser Augustus und die verlorene Republik. Edited by Mathias René Hofter, pp. 200–212. Mainz: Verlag P. von Zabern, 1988.
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Kränzle, P. "Der Fries der Basilica Aemilia." Antike Plastik 23 (1994): 93-127.
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Ertel, Christine et al. "Neue Forschungen zur Basilica Aemilia auf dem Forum Romanum." Römanische Mitteilungen 133 (2007): 493-552.
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Lipps, Johannes. Die Basilica Aemilia am Forum Romanum: der kaiserzeitliche Bau und seine Ornamentik. Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, 2011.
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Freyberger, Klaus S. and Christine Ertel (eds.) Die Basilica Aemilia auf dem Forum Romanum in Rom: Bauphasen, Rekonstruktion, Funktion und Bedeutung. Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, 2016.
External links
