Buying and selling

Some halls in the west part of the House of the Charioteers (III,X,1) also have secondary dividing walls, but with these a hotel was created, not an apartment. It can be deduced from many graffiti, of which an overview can be found on a preliminary page on this website. We will discuss a few here.

Part of the interior of the hotel on a photo from the 1950's. Photo: ICCD E040729.

For some time the caretaker of the hotel was a certain Licinius, because someone wrote with very small letters: "On September 6 the host Licinius was doing well". In what respect Licinius was doing fine is not clear. The Latin verb is not very specific (vigeo: ""to be lively or vigorous; to thrive, flourish, bloom; to be in honor, esteem, repute, etc.").

VIII IDVS SIIPTIIMBRIIS LICINIVS HOSPIIS VIGVIT
"On September 6 the host Licinius was doing well".
Photo: Francis Brenders.

The hotel was frequented by merchants. One of them drew a cargo ship on one of the walls, with the head of the deity after which the ship was named on the bow.

The cargo ship with the head of a deity (to the left and inset) on the bow. Photo: Francis Brenders.

Before doing business, the merchants struck a deal with the gods. Hektikos, who was selling, wrote in Greek: "Righteous Hermes, bring profit to Hektikos!" After a succesful deal the vow had to be redeemed, and one merchant wrote: Mercur(io) v(otum) l(ibens) s(olvit), "gladly fulfilled his vow to Mercurius".

ΕΡΜΗ ΔΙΚΑΙΕ ΚΕΡΔΟC ΕΚΤΙΚΩ [ΔΙ]ΔΟΥ
"Righteous Hermes, bring profit to Hektikos!"
Photo: Francis Brenders.

A downpayment was registered on a wall, in asses and denarii, "on the first day, the second day, the third day", with a date. One deal involved 500 denarii, which equals 20 aurei, a very considerable amount. One of the purchases was a slave: "Here I bought Menas". The graffito "Amor lives here" shows, by the way, that the traders were not just talking business.

A large sum: ✱ CCCCC, 500 denarii. Photo: Francis Brenders.

HIC AMOR ABITAT, "Amor lives here". Photo: Francis Brenders.

It may well be that slaves (objects according to Roman law) and other commodities were sold at auctions. Here a group of buildings to the east of the Baths of the Seven Sages (III,X,2) is of great interest. On the plan below, the round hall in the Baths of the Seven Sages is seen top left. Top right are the apartments 12-13 that we discussed earlier. To the west of that is a large bar (nr. 10) and to the south are some halls (nr. 11). The buildings are on and around a large square that is flanked on three sides by a building that has been given number 9. In the centre of each side is a podium that was climbed with a few steps. On either side of each podium is a long hall, and in the south corner is a large latrine. On the podiums we may imagine a loud-voiced auctioneer, in Latin praeco.

Plan of the square and presumed building for auctions. Image: Scavi di Ostia, volume I.

The square and presumed building for auctions seen from the House of Serapis. Photo: Klaus Heese.

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