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A thermopoly, a kind of street “fast food” from Ancient Rome, decorated with polychrome motifs and in a very good state of preservation, was brought to light in Pompeii, the representatives of the archaeological site announced this Saturday, AFP reports.
The upper part covered in volcanic ash had been partially unearthed in 2019, but works were expanded to preserve the integrity of the structure, located in a very busy neighborhood at the time, at the intersection of the Casa delle Nozze d’Argento (Casa Silver Wedding) and Vicolo dei Balconi (Strada Balcoanelor).
Along with the already known fresco depicting a nereid (water nymph) riding a seahorse, the researchers identified brightly colored paintings depicting animals, especially poultry and wild ducks, which were cooked and served with wine or other drinks.
The thermopoly of #RegioV, a bar in #Pompeii, with an image of a Nereid riding a seahorse, had been partially excavated in 2019. It now emerges in its entirety, with rich decorative frescoes of still lifes, food remains, animal bones and victims of the eruption. pic.twitter.com/OEqh2sbAmm
– Pompeii Sites (@pompeii_sites) December 26, 2020
In addition, scientists have discovered remains of food in the spaces of the table structure, which could provide valuable information on the gastronomic habits of Pompeii, during the eruption of Vesuvius, in 79 AD.
In the clay pots, a fragment of duck bone was found, but also remains of pig, goat, fish and snails. Several ingredients were cooked together in a dish similar to a paella.
In a dolium, a clay pot that resembles a barrel, they found crushed beans, which served to change the color and flavor of the wine.
“In addition to being a further testimony to the daily life of Pompeii, the possibilities of analyzing this thermopolis are exceptional, because for the first time an area of this type has been completely excavated”, said Massimo Osanna, general director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii , quoted in a statement.
Amphorae, a tank and a fountain were discovered nearby, as well as human bones, including those of a man in his 50s.
“The barn appears to have been hastily closed and abandoned by its owners, but it is possible that someone, possibly the older man, remained and died during the first phase of the eruption, after the attic collapsed,” Massimo explained. Osanna in an interview with Ansa.
Other bones could have belonged to a thief, or a starving fugitive, “trapped in the incandescent vapors, holding the lid of the container he had just opened,” he added.
This thermopoly was very common and popular in ancient Rome. In Pompeii alone there were about eighty structures of this type.
Pompeii, buried after the eruption of Vesuvius, is the second most visited archaeological site in Italy after the Colosseum in Rome. It attracted almost four million visitors in 2019.
Only a third of the site, which currently covers 44 hectares, not far from Naples, has been unearthed by archaeologists.
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