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A store of what today we would call “Street food“, With still food scraps of time preserved within the containers: this is the latest, new discovery made at the archaeological site of Pompeii, a site that does not stop giving us surprises. In the new excavations resumed within the maintenance and restoration project of Regio V, a perfectly preserved Thermopoly (Latin name that indicates the store, ed.) Has reappeared, with the image of a sea nymph on horseback and animals of such vivid colors appear three-dimensional. But the most surprising thing is the finding in the containers of the Thermopoly of food scraps that were sold on the street: in fact it was the custom of the Pompeians consuming hot food and beverages outdoors. The specialists of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii are already studying the material to see to what extent this discovery can expand the knowledge about the eating habits of Roman times. “With teamwork, which required legislative standards and the quality of people, today Pompeii is indicated in the world as an example of protection and management, once again being one of the most visited places in Italy where research is carried out, he continues dig and do it extraordinary discoveries like this“Commented the Minister of Heritage and Cultural Activities and Tourism, Dario Franceschini.
“Apart from being about youn ‘more testimony of daily life in Pompeii, the analysis possibilities of this Thermopoly are exceptional, because for the first time an entire environment has been excavated with cutting-edge methodologies and technologies that are returning unpublished data “, he added. Massimo Osanna, Acting General Director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. The commercial plant where the Thermopoly resurfaced was only partially investigated in 2019, during the interventions of the Great Pompeii Project for the safety and consolidation of the historic excavation fronts. Taking into account the exceptional character of the decoration and in order to restore the complete configuration of the place, located in the clearing at the intersection of the vicolo delle Nozze d’Argento and the vicolo dei Balconi, it was decided to expand the project and complete the excavation of the entire environment in order to protect the entire context with proper restoration.
In front of the thermopoly, in the small square opposite, a cistern, a fountain and a piezometric tower for water distribution had already emerged, located a short distance from the shop already known for the fresco of gladiators in combat. The decorations on the counter – the first to leave the excavation – have u’s image on the frontna Nereida on horseback in a marine environment and, on the shorter side, the illustration probably from the same store as a commercial poster. At the time of the excavation, the discovery of amphoras placed in front of the counter reflected the painted image not by chance. In this new phase of excavation, other valuable still life scenes have emerged, with representations of animals, probably sold in the room. Fragments of bones, belonging to the animals themselves, were also found in containers obtained from the thickness of the counter that contained food intended for sale. Like the two mallards exposed upside down, ready to be prepared and eaten, a rooster and a dog on a leash, almost a warning in the manner of the famous Cave Canem.
Another interesting fact is the finding of human bones, partially disturbed by the passage of tunnels made in modern times by clandestine excavators in search of precious objects. Some are from an individual at least 50 years old that probably, at the time of the arrival of the pyroclastic current, was positioned on a bed of which there are vestiges. Other bones, yet to be investigated, belong to another individual and were found inside a large dolio, perhaps always placed here by the first excavators. In addition, in Thermopoly various supplies for pantry and transport were found: nine amphorae, a bronze pot, two jars, a ceramic pot on a common table. The floor of the entire room is made up of a layer of cocciopesto (a waterproof coating made up of fragments of terracotta), in which fragments of polychrome marble (alabaster, holder, green gap and bardiglio) have been inserted at some points. Thermopolies, where drinks and hot food were served, as the name of Greek origin indicates, preserved in large dolia (jars) embedded in the masonry counter, were very common in the Roman world, where it was customary to consume the prandium (the food ) outdoor. House. In Pompeii alone there are about eighty, but none with the counter fully painted, confirming the exceptional nature of the find.
The first analyzes confirm how the paintings on the counter represent, at least in part, the food and drink that is actually sold within the thermopoly: Two mallards are depicted among the paintings on the countertop, and in fact a fragment of duck bone was found inside one of the containers, along with pig, goats, fish and land snails, demonstrating the great variety of products of animal origin used to prepare dishes. On the other hand, the first archaeobotanical analyzes made it possible to identify fragments of deciduous oak, probably belonging to structural elements of the countertop. At the bottom of a dolio, identified as a wine container at the base of the drinking bottle, located inside, the presence of beans, intentionally fragmented / ground, was identified. Apicius in De re Co Maquinaria (I, 5) agrees, stating that they were used to modify the taste and color of wine, whitening it. A complete dog skeleton was found in the corner between the two doors (northwest corner of the room) of the Thermopoly. It is not a large, muscular dog like the one painted on the counter, but an extremely small specimen, 20-25 cm tall at the shoulder, despite being an adult dog. Dogs of this very small size, although quite rare, attest to intentional selections that took place in Roman times to achieve this result. There were also, inside the room, and in particular behind the counter where they were dragged by the first excavators, a good number of human bones pertinent to a senescent mature individual, at least 50 years old. A first analysis allows associating these dragged bones to what remains of an individual found in the innermost corner of the store, which probably at the time of the arrival of the pyroclastic current was on a bed or a cot, as evidenced by the compartment to house the bed and a series of nails and wood remains found under the body. Bones belonging to at least one other individual remain to be investigated, found within a large dolio, probably rearranged in this position again by early excavators. These are only the first macroscopic data provided by the excavation in progress, the findings collected and brought to the laboratory will be further investigated through specific investigations in departments and universities according to, allowing more and more refinement of the available data and by therefore the knowledge of the Thermopoly and the site.
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