The basilica

The basilica closes off the public part of the forum, the town’s monumental centre, on the side facing the lake.   It was built between 50 and 80 AD to replace an older building; the basilica was a public building, at one and the same time a town hall, a court and the headquarters for offices.

It is 90 m long overall and comprises a central nave with apses surrounded by a wide ambulatory.  It also has two annexes, one to the north and the other to the south.

The political organisation of the Colonia Iulia Equestris was that commonly found in Roman colonies: a local Senate, a legislative assembly (the order of the decurions) and magistrates (duoviri and town councillors, elected annually in principle), responsible for the management and administration of the territory.  The order of the decurions met in the curia, a semi-circular room discovered in 1995, next to the annex which had initially been taken to be the curia.