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→ This is a general article on a characteristic type of Roman building.
For specific examples in the city of Rome
see the articles Macellum Macellum Liviae Macellum Magnum
in Platner & Ashby's Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome.

 p722  Macellum

Article by James Yates, M.A., F.R.S.,
on p722 of

William Smith, D.C.L., LL.D.:
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, John Murray, London, 1875.

MACELLUM (ὀψοπωλία, Athen. I.9; ὀψοπωλείον, κρεοπωλείον), a provision-market, frequented by cooks, fishermen, poulterers, confectioners, butchers, and men of similar occupations (Varro, de Re Rust. III.2.17, de Ling. Lat. V.32 pp147, 148 ed. Spengel; Plaut. Aulul. II.8.3; Ter. Eun. II.2.24; Hor. Sat. II.3.229, Epist. I.15.31; Seneca, Epist. 78). [Forum] From macellum, a provision-merchant was called macellarius (ὀψοπώλης, κρεοπώλης) (Suet. Jul. 26, Suet. Vesp. 19; Varro, de Re Rust. III.24). The Athenians called their macellum εἰς τοὖψον, just as they called their slave-markets εἰς τὰ ἀνδράποδα, their wine-market εἰς τὸν οἶνον, and other markets by the name of the commodities sold in them (Poll. IX.47; X.19; Harpocr. s.v. Δεῖγμα).


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