Tempio di Serapide (Macellum)
Pozzuoli
KnownHistory & archaeology
The story
Not a temple but the ancient Roman market: on the marble columns the holes bored by marine molluscs tell how much the Flegrean ground has risen and sunk over the centuries.
Access
exterior FREE
The story
The monument that everyone calls the 'Temple of Serapis' is not a temple: it is the Macellum, the great public market of Roman Puteoli (first–second century AD). The name arose in 1750, when a statue of the Egyptian god Serapis was found in the excavations. But its real fame is scientific: for centuries its columns have been the 'ruler' with which the bradyseism of the Campi Flegrei has been measured.
What to see
The three tall surviving columns bear, at several metres of height, the holes of the marine molluscs that bored into them: the visible proof that the ground, and with it the monument, sank beneath the sea and then rose again. It is the story in stone of the volcano's breathing.
Tips
The Macellum is in the centre of Pozzuoli and is often observed from the surrounding area. As with all the Flegrean sites, check access and status on the official channels, given the bradyseismic activity. To be read knowing what to look for: the mollusc holes high up on the columns.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Temple of Serapis not a temple?
Because it is actually the Macellum, the public market of Roman Puteoli; the name arose from a statue of Serapis found in 1750.
What do the columns of the Macellum tell?
The holes of the marine molluscs on the columns, at several metres of height, show that the ground sank beneath the sea and then rose again: they are the historic measure of bradyseism.
Where is the Macellum?
In the centre of Pozzuoli, in the Campi Flegrei.
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