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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ancient Aussie, post: 7789638, member: 80147&quot;]A recent pick up from CNG is this fantastic building minted 64 AD by Nero, on the reverse is pictured a two-story building with the embellished by a semicircular portion and a central stairway. The building is characterized by the inscription MAC (ellum) AVG (usti) making it readily recognizable as a food market: meat, vegetables, fruit and above all, oil. The macellum pictured on my coin refers in particular to the &quot;Macellum Magnum&quot;, probably dating back to the year 59 AD, and only a small portion is portrayed here, perhaps the external main entrance or maybe part of the internal courtyard with the building seen in a circular section.</p><p>In the center of the building, a cult statue of a forward facing male holding a long scepter in his left hand. During the fifth century was partially destroyed as a result of continuous battles, until it was finally transformed into the Church of &quot;Santo Stefano Rotondo&quot; under the papacy of Pope Simplicius some time before 483 AD.</p><p>Of the building of Nero the only remaining portions are the travertine foundations, part of the enclosure wall, and eight pilasters of the outer colonnade, but the fourth century structure was built on the original foundations and appears to have preserved in general the form of the original. It consisted of a two-storied circular colonnade, of twenty-two columns, which supported a domed roof. This was surrounded by an outer concentric colonnade of thirty-six columns, also two stories high. Outside of this was an ambulatory 10 meters wide, divided into eight segments by rows of columns&nbsp; The alternate segments had no outer wall and therefore resembled open courts. The original circular building of Nero was enclosed by a rectangular portico&#039;s,containing shops, of which remains were perhaps still to be seen in the sixteenth century </p><p>[ATTACH=full]1337120[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Nero. </b>AD 54-68. Æ Dupondius (29mm, 15.84 g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck circa AD 64. Radiate head right / Façade of the Macellum Magnum: statue standing facing on base within cylindrical tetrastyle entrance set on tiered base, upper tristyle story surmounted by ornate conical dome; two-story tristyle porch on either side. RIC I 184; WCN 203. Brown patina, porous surfaces, some earthen deposits. Fine. Ex CNG auction 496, lot 423.</p><p><br /></p><p>PLEASE POST your Ancient architecture on coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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