In the heart of S. Maria Capua Vetere, in an already partially built up area, the demolition of a building dating to the early 1900s, revealed the _opus latericium_ structures of the western part of an imposing Imperial Roman architectural complex. This comprised a rectangular aula on a north-south alignment (9.60 m long), north of which was a large apsidal room of similar size (9.70 m long), with walls that were originally faced with marble slabs. The building, which obliterated earlier structures in _opus quasi reticulatum_, underwent numerous alterations until the late antique period, attested by the stratification of at least three floors in the rectangular aula. The building’s dimensions suggest that it was for public use.

The extension of the excavation confirmed that prior to the construction of the large apsidal public building the area was occupied by a late Republican quarter with shops on either side of a road on a N-S alignment. Behind the shops situated on the western side stood houses which had undergone alterations in the 2nd-3rd century A.D. Therefore, the construction of the large public building, which overlay the road and obliterated the structures on its eastern side, must date, at the earliest, to the Constantinian period, a time when Capua saw a revival in its fortunes. However, the most important find for the reconstruction of Capua’s urban plan was certainly that of the _macellum_, of which a part of the south-eastern corner was uncovered. These structures comprised four shops, part of the portico to their north and a small part of the central courtyard. The shops were built in _opus mixtum_ of _reticulatum_ and _latericium_. In the very compact mortar of the floors only the impression of the paving itself was preserved, constituted by two outer rows of bipedales which functioned as a border to a sort of emblem formed by sesquipedales. The portico was supported by columns of cipollino marble. Fragments of Corinthian capitals from columns and pilasters were found, together with fragments of screens and window frames from over the doors, as well as a substantial quantity of white marble slabs, some moulded, and smooth slabs of cipollino were also recovered. The walkway around the internal courtyard was also paved in white marble. The working of the capitals, probably done by not particularly skilled local craftsmen, suggested a late Flavian-Trajanic date, a period to which the construction of the entire building can be dated on the basis of the building technique used. The building probably developed for circa 70 m on a north-south alignment, given the position of the apse, which may have been the centre of this architectural complex.