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How was Pompeii's basilica used before it became a model for Christian basilicas?

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Ruins of ancient Pompeii with stone columns and walls in the foreground, and Mount Vesuvius rising in the background under a partly cloudy sky. — Pompeii Mount Vesuvius rising up over the ruins of the ancient Roman city Pompeii.

In the ancient city of Pompeii, the basilica served as a multipurpose public structure before its architectural form was adopted for Christian churches. Specifically, it functioned as a covered exchange for commercial activities and as a venue for the administration of justice.1

Architecturally, the Pompeian basilica was a large building featuring a main hall surrounded on four sides by a corridor, a design that holds significant importance for scholars studying the origins and evolution of the basilica as a standard for religious architecture.1