Fondo Pasqualis - Antichi Mercati

Fondo Pasqualis preserves late-antique market spaces in the southern part of Aquileia. Paved courts, commercial structures and nearby defensive walls reveal the relationship between trade and the changing form of the city.

Why it matters

The markets demonstrate continued economic activity in a period often associated mainly with urban decline. Finds including a gold coin of Emperor Leo I provide evidence for the site's life after the mid-fifth century, while the relationship with waterways shows the continuing importance of transport by boat.

What to notice

Courts and portico remains define the market areas. Paving includes Aurisina limestone, while incised game boards add evidence of activity beyond the exchange of goods. Amphorae containing partly burnt grain were found within one commercial room. Holes in stone edging and a cut interpreted as a later palisade slot preserve traces of structures that no longer stand.

Context and history

The surrounding walls developed in successive late-antique phases, with passages and ramps connecting the commercial quarter with the river. A large warehouse formerly stood nearby but was demolished in the eighteenth century. Modern excavation, including work in 2020, has added to the understanding of this changing urban district.