Panel 5 - Commercial buildings and road structure

In this panel we will learn more about the main street and the commercial centre on the way to the palace complex. The importance of the street as a means of internal communication within the city and the commercial and craft buildings located on the street itself made this part of the city an economic centre of great importance.

For more detailed information you can consult the information points of the panel.

1. The Road

More than just a thoroughfare, the road originating from the monumental gate served as a vibrant meeting point where much of the city’s social life unfolded. Paved with a mixture of clayey soil and lime laid upon a bed of gravel and stones, this main road had two levels to navigate the natural slope, with the upper level providing passage for pedestrians.

Aerial view of the main street and commercial buildings.
Aerial view of the main street and commercial buildings.
Aerial view of the ground plan of the palace and the square.
Aerial view of the ground plan of the palace and the square.

2. Commercial Buildings

Flanking both sides of the main road, in the area closest to the palace, stood two large buildings dedicated to commercial and artisanal activities, housing nine shops with their respective workshops.
The remains and tools uncovered indicate that these spaces facilitated the manufacture and sale of numerous objects, particularly glass and goldsmith wares. These buildings likely served as marketplaces for products arriving in Reccopolis from various regions of the Peninsula and the Mediterranean.

View of the commercial buildings sloping upwards towards the monumental gate and the palace complex.
View of the commercial buildings next to the housing area.
Digital reconstruction of the main street and the commercial buildings, at the end of the street is the monumental gate.
Digital reconstruction of the main street and the commercial buildings, at the end of the street is the monumental gate.
Excavations of the commercial buildings as seen from the monumental gate.
Excavations of commercial buildings.