An ancient Roman fast food bar is discovered in Pompeii

Another extraordinary discovery in Pompeii. Archaeologists unearth, in the new excavations taken up within the maintenance and restoration project of the Regio V, an extraordinary Thermopoly well-preserved , (ancient snack bar, places where drinks and hot foods were served).

This thermopoly has the image of a sea nymph on horseback and animals so brightly colored that they appear three-dimensional. The thermopolies, where the Pompeians used to consume hot food and drinks, as the name of Greek origin indicates, contained the food in large dolia (jars) embedded in the masonry counter.

These establishments were very common in the Roman world, where it was customary to consume the prandium (food) outside the home. About eighty have been found in Pompeii alone, but none with the counter fully painted, confirming the exceptional nature of the find.

Thermopoly of the Regio V. Photograph by Luigi Spina, courtesy of Parco Archeologico di Pompei

In particular one what is surprising is the discovery in the containers of traces of food that were sold on the street. The archaeologists of the Pompeii Archaeological Park are already studying the material to verify how much this discovery can broaden the knowledge on the eating habits of the Roman age.

The area where the Thermopoly resurfaced is located in the clearing at the intersection of the vicolo delle Nozze d'Argento and the vicolo dei Balconi was only partially investigated in 2019.

The multi-sided decorations thermopoly (the roman snack bar), which were the first to emerge during the excavation, include frescos of a nereid riding a sea-horse in a marine setting on the front, while the shorter side features illustrations which are probably of the shop itself. as if it were a commercial sign. At the time of the excavation, the finding of amphoras placed in front of the counter reflected the painted image not by chance.

Near the thermopoly, in the small square opposite, a cistern, a fountain and a piezometric tower for the distribution of water had already appeared, located a short distance from the store that was known for a fresco of gladiators in combat.

During the excavation, still life scenes with representations of animals, probably sacrificed and sold in the room, have also appeared. Fragments of bones, belonging to the animals, were also found inside containers obtained from 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.

In the frame that encloses the picture of the dog, a mocking graffiti inscription "Nicia cinede cacator" can be read: "Nicia (probably a freedman from Greece) Cacatore, inverted!" she maybe she left to make fun of the owner or someone who worked at Thermopolio.