Scientists have found food scraps in the depths of the table, which could provide valuable information about the gastronomic habits of the place.
The archeological area of Pompeii, the city destroyed in 79 AD. Due to the eruption of Vesuvius, it never ceases to amaze and on Saturday it was reported the discovery of a thermopolium, a kind of “fast food” in the middle of the street of ancient Rome, where food and drink were served to the inhabitants, It is intact and decorated with remains of food.
The Italian Ministry of Culture and the archeological area announced what they considered “another extraordinary discovery in Pompeii, in the new excavations undertaken within the Regio V maintenance and restoration project”.
The counter preserved by volcanic ash had been partially unearthed in 2019, but the works were extended to try to preserve the entire archeological site and which is located in a very crowded neighborhood, at the intersection of the wedding streets of Plata and Los Balcones.
It is a thermopoly, where food was served to the lower classes of the city, perfectly preserved with a counter with the image of a great nymph on horseback and other animals with colors so bright as to look three-dimensional, they explain, among which are poultry , such as chickens and ducks, which had to be washed with wine or hot drinks.
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But what surprised archaeologists the most was the discovery in the leftover containers of this food that was sold on the street and which is the origin of the “taken out” food.
The top buried in volcanic ash had been partially unearthed in 2019, but work has been expanded to better preserve the entire site. Photo / AFP
Scientists have found food scraps in the depths of the table that could provide valuable information about the gastronomic habits of Pompeii when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.
Instead, a fragment of duck bone was recovered, as well as remains of pork, goat, fish and snails in clay containers. Several ingredients were cooked together, as if it were a paella.
Crushed beans were found at the bottom of a container, which were used to change the taste of the wine.
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“Apart from being a testament to the daily life of Pompeii, the possibilities of analyzing this thermopoly are exceptional, because for the first time a complete set has been unearthed,” said Massimo Osanna, general manager of the Pompeii Archaeological Park. it is a statement.
Nearby, amphorae, a cistern and a fountain, as well as human bones, including those of a 50-year-old man, were found near a child’s crib.
“The thermopolis gives the impression that it was closed and hastily abandoned by its owners, although it is possible that someone, perhaps the older man, remained and died during the first stage of the eruption, when the collapse collapsed,” he said. Osanna. in an interview with the local agency Ansa.
The other skeleton could be that of a thief or a hungry fugitive, “caught by the burning fumes holding in one hand the lid of the container he had just opened,” he added.
“Thermopolia” (the compound word comes from the Greek “thermopōlion”, which means hot food for sale) were very common in the Roman world. In Pompeii alone there were about 80.
The city, completely covered by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, is the second most visited place in Italy after the Roman Colosseum, with almost four million visits in 2019.
To date, only a third of the site, which currently covers about 44 hectares, not far from Naples, has been discovered by archaeologists.
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