The « Piazzale delle Corporazioni » reconsidered

Abstract

This paper analyzes an Ostian monument, the so-called piazzale delle corporazioni, arguing that it is less unique than it seems now if put in architectural context. The paper includes a discussion on the building’s prior use as a theater colonnade, comparing it to the porticus Pompeiana and the crypta Balbi in Rome. It further compares it to the « gladiators’ barracks » in Pompeii, a space also used as a theater colonnade and subsequently employed for different purposes. The paper proposes that the piazzale was a building where ethnic networks of foreign traders and shipmasters connected with the Ostian business community as a way to overcome preindustrial constraints on long-distance trade. It concludes that, based on the view of the piazzale as a place facilitating inter-community exchange, dedication to the imperial cult is the most plausible suggestion for the piazzale temple.

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