One of the storage cells in Trajan’s Warehouses, built during the Severan age (193-235 AD), bears, on the brick facing of its outer wall, an inscription in red paint indicating the number 488 in Roman numerals: XIID. This unusual detail most likely bears witness to an ancient system for numbering the rooms. The cell’s elongated shape is typical of storage cells in the territory of Rome which, with their broad frontal opening, considerable height, and the presence of slit windows, gave the space excellent ventilation. Protection from abrupt temperature changes was also ensured by the walls’ considerable thickness, the lining of the entire environment in cocciopesto (a sort of waterproof concrete), and the flooring system on suspensurae that provided insulation from rising damp.
Highlighting of the inscription XIID
(École française de Rome)
The Warehouse during excavation’s
(École française de Rome)
Reconstructed axonometric projection of some cells of Trajan’s warehouses
(École française de Rome)
Reconstruction of a cell’s interior
(École française de Rome)
Graphical rendering of suspensurae schemes
(École française de Rome)
Suspensurae
(École française de Rome)
Suspensurae
(École française de Rome)
Suspensurae
(École française de Rome)