Dome

Frontal view of the hemisphere which faced Trajan's Forum; The Forum of Trajan was regarded by contemporaries as the most magnificent architectural complex in Rome. It was dedicated in AD 113, though the work may have begun under Domitian; the final design, together with that of Trajan's Markets shelved into the side of the Quirinal Hill to the north, was probably the work of Apollodoros. The Markets of Trajan (ca. AD 100-112) are very different in character. Their extensive remains consist of about 150 shops and offices and a great hall, set out on terraces cut into the steep Quirinal slope, although the complex was probably once considerably larger. The walls are almost entirely of brick-faced concrete; few if any columns were used and there are hardly any stone trims. The only architectural decoration is the pedimented and pilastered wall that forms a curved façade responding to that of the forum's eastern exedra. At three levels streets run along the terraces and are connected by numerous stair systems, corridors and walkways. Many of the shops and offices are of simple rectangular plan with wide doorways framed in travertine. The groin-vaulted great hall, which survives almost intact, is ingeniously planned with two levels of shops at either side, the upper one set back to allow access galleries. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 7/10/2008)