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ROME (REUTERS) – Archaeologists in Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in AD 79, have made the extraordinary find of a hot food and fresh drink shop that served the ancient equivalent of street food to Roman passersby.
Known as thermopolium, Latin for hot drinks counter, the store was discovered at the Regio V site of the archaeological park, which is not yet open to the public, and it opened on Saturday (December 26).
Traces of food almost 2,000 years old were found in some of the deep terracotta jars containing hot food that the shopkeeper lowered onto a counter with circular holes.
The front of the counter was decorated with brightly colored frescoes, some of which depicted animals that were part of the ingredients of the food being sold, such as a chicken and two ducks hanging upside down.
“This is an extraordinary find. It is the first time that we have excavated a complete thermopoly,” said Massimo Ossana, director of the Pompeii archaeological park.
Archaeologists also found a decorated bronze drinking bowl known as a patera, ceramic jugs used to cook stews and soups, wine jars, and amphorae.
Pompeii, 23 kilometers southeast of Naples, was home to some 13,000 people when it was buried under ash, pumice and dust while enduring the force of an eruption equivalent to many atomic bombs.
“Our preliminary analyzes show that the figures drawn on the front of the counter represent, at least in part, the food and drink that was sold there,” said Valeria Amoretti, an anthropologist at the site.
Amoretti said traces of pork, fish, snails and beef had been found in the containers, a discovery that he called “testimony to the wide variety of animal products used to prepare dishes.”
About two-thirds of the 66-hectare ancient city has been discovered. The ruins were not discovered until the 16th century and organized excavations began around 1750.
A rare documentation of Greco-Roman life, Pompeii is one of Italy’s most popular attractions and a Unesco World Heritage site.
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