Take an online walk and check out the cook-shop in Pompeii where you could stop for a quick bite of hot food and drink. First enjoy a virtual reconstruction of a Roman thermopolium from Pompeii. Then you can visit the official dig website for more details if you’re curious. In addition to thermopolium, Romans also used the terms caupona, popina, hospitia, and stabula. The watercolor above by Luigi Bazzani shows a thermopolium in the alley of the rooster in Pompeii, from a much earlier excavation than that used in the 3D reconstruction.
Serving the Masses
These “fast food” places were essential to the lower classes. Many people lived in grim apartment buildings called insulae, literally “islands.” These often-rickety piles filled whole blocks surrounded by streets—hence the name. Because residents occupied a single room and had no kitchen or area for cooking food, they depended on the neighborhood thermopolium.
Gorgeous Frescoes
The frescoes painted on the front of the counters are lovely. At the front, a Nereid riding a seahorse in the sea reminds customers of the seafood on offer. To the left, the smaller fresco showing amphorae of wine encourages imbibing. That’s reinforced in this reconstruction by the two ceramic jars piled next to the fresco. In addition, the fresco on the other side represents the other meats with a living chicken and a couple of ducks hanging ready for the cook.
These reconstructed frescoes are from the most recently excavated cook-shop in Pompeii. Collapsing walls and other disasters led curators of the giant site to initiate full-scale excavation in one of the unexamined regions of the buried city. The last year or so has revealed some great treasures of Roman life from these renewed efforts. The beauty of the frescoes in this humble snack shop may come as a surprise to you. If you peek carefully, you’ll also see the “guard dog” painted on the side. He looks quite ferocious!
Click here for a YouTube video reconstruction of a cook-shop in Pompeii.
Here for a post about the recent Pompeii excavation of a ceremonial chariot.
Absolutely loved this article! Pompeii is one of my favorite archaeological sites. Thank you!
Pompeii is full of gems and surprises. I love the feeling of intimacy with Roman life.
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