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Trading house, commercial building

Pompeiian emotions The archaeological discoveries made in 1984 in the location of a planned residential housing development were so important, that the area today is protected. The building remains are extremely interesting and the protective building they are now housed in can be visited at any time.

- Panorama photograph western commercial building: Trading post, cupboard (on the top floor: tavern) - Panorama photograph eastern commercial building: Cloth fullery (on the top floor: ironmonger) - Textile crafts, among others, a cloth fullery (fullonica) - Opening hours protection houses
Today:		In Roman times:
Fullery in the eastern commercial building today:		Fullery in the eastern commercial building in Roman times:
Directly beside the modern-day cantonal road leading from Basle to Rheinfelden, an inn which incorporates an office (caupona) and the sales hall of a cloth fullery (fullonica) are housed together in a protective building. The two buildings were semi-detached, renovated several times and eventually both completely destroyed by fire in the 3rd century AD. The entire furnishings and numerous charred timbers were preserved. During the excavations and subsequently in the making of the faithful reconstructions, the preserved remains provided invaluable help in determining the functions of the houses and their top floors. Clever businessmen appear to have run their highly diversified enterprises in this complex of commercial buildings.
Western commercial building:		Eastern commercial building:
The western wing, which was separated from the cloth fullery next door by a fire wall, contained a meat smokehouse (image), a tavern, an administration office, a courtyard for the handling of goods and extensive grain storage space. Even a well was located inside the house in a narrow corridor at the centre of the house, providing a private water supply.		The ground floor of the eastern wing housed a large workshop for the production (?) and refinement (!) of wool cloth - a fullery. Particularly impressive is the preservation of the wooden floor with three burnt circular wooden vats, a rectangular water trough and a drying room with warm air vents (image). The protection house with its explanatory panels and a small exhibition is well worth a visit!
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