Archeological excavations in the modern era have revealed a building that had still not been fully repaired by the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

Of particular interest to researchers is the section of the Macellum located on the east side that is thought to have been dedicated to the imperial cult.

It makes manifest how central a role the emperors played in the lives of Romans as early as the 1st century.

When the Macellum was first discovered, because of the twelve column bases in the centre, the excavators at first believed it was a kind of pantheon, a temple dedicated to many gods.

[1] However, when subsequent excavation turned up the remains of cereals and fruits in the north side of the building and fish scales and bones in the middle of the courtyard, the archaeologists realized that this was a market.

The shape of the Macellum is slightly misaligned with the forum because it had to fit between the two roads that flanked it to the north and south, the Via degli Augustali and the Vico del Balcone Pensile.

Three much restored marble columns from the portico of the forum, with Corinthian capitals, remain standing in front of the facade.

Both columns are decorated with chimerae, which were not originally part of the Macellum, but belonged to one of the major tombs: the Tomba delle Ghirlande (Garland grave) on Via del Sepolchri (Street of Sepulchres) before the Herculaneum gate.

[4] In addition, on the west side an example of the fourth style of Roman (so-called Pompeiian) decorative mural painting has been preserved.

In these Penelope recognizing the returned Odysseus, Io watched over by Argus, and Medea ruminating on the deaths of her children are recognizable.

Between the individual panels are architectural vistas on a white background, with green and pale red buildings depicted in perspective.

The delicate architectonic elements dominate the black panels and divide the upper area into fields in which single figures are depicted on a blue background.

Above these, on large wall panels are painted still lifes with birds, poultry, wine-jars, fruit, flowers, baskets, and fish in a style similar to folk art.

Figs, grapes, chestnuts, pulses, bread, cakes, amphorae, and fruits in jars (now in the Naples Museum) were found here.

On the south side, directly adjacent to the meat and fish hall on the Via del Balcone Pensile, is the third entrance.

To the height of the shrine (approximately 13 m), the external wall was constructed of opus reticulatum (masonry of rectangular stones arranged like a checkerboard or net).

In the middle of the Macellum are the previously mentioned twelve column bases, which are made of tuff and arranged to define a dodecagonal space.

The rotunda was thought to have resembled other macella, perhaps the elaborate Eastern Greek and African models, or Roman examples such as that in Puteoli.

The inner area is edged with a low marble lip, intended to prevent water from the middle flooding outward.

The flooring consists of a mixture of crushed stone tiles, made of travertine, marble, and mortar.

When this area was excavated by a group led by Giuseppe Fiorelli, it was still considered to be a kind of pantheon and thus initially given that name.

Over a hundred years later, Paul Zanker put forward the view that Augustus did have himself depicted as Jupiter and that in the niches on the right were people honored by the city who had earned recognition around the market.

The man, who had probably already died at the time the statue was erected, was depicted in a heroically exaggerated manner on the model of the emperor, with draped hips and bare upper torso.

Other sources report that the treasure was found immediately at the northern entrance[22] or in the meat sales room.

It has been suggested that like the large side niches in the Building of Eumachia, it served as a place for the praecones (announcers or heralds) and the argentarii (money-changers) to stand.

The left half of the counter surface is equipped with a special device that served to collect the runoff water and direct it into a small drainage groove on the south side.

The original tuff colonnades were initially retained, but on the west side were cut through to erect a sacred aedicula of opus incertum, which was rapidly again forgotten.

However, the majority of the building dates from the period after the earthquake of 62 CE, which then led to the complete abandonment of the tuff colonnades.

Only the lower story is preserved, but there was also an upper floor, in which there are presumed to have been attic quarters for Macellum workers.