In ancient Greece, an agora was a public space used as a food market. The Macellum along the Cardo (main street) in the center of Gerasa was basically a grocery store but there was nothing basic about it. Surrounding the fountain in the center court is a very ornate colonnade with capitals of the Corinthian order. It is believed the Macellum was constructed during the 1st century and then significantly expanded in the mid-2nd century. Further renovations occurred during the Byzantine era in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. It continued to house food merchants until sometime in the 6th century when its purpose took on more of a commercial or industrial use. For unknown reasons, it was destroyed during the early 7th century.
