Published on : Monday, April 1, 2019
Referred to as “thermopolium”, the fast food counters found in the site provided cooking facilities to poor residents who did not have them at home. They also served as snack bars with menus consisting of salty fish, coarse bread, spicy wine and baked cheese.
This ancient archaeological section, which is currently not open to the public, is the most comprehensive dig at Pompeii archaeological site since the 1960s. Later, it will open to the public.
The ancient most pompous city of Italy, Pompeii was destroyed after the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius near present-day Naples, in 79 A.D.
The researchers in Italy have unearthed what appeared to be bars, or thermopolium that were probably used to serve food. The areas in Pompeii were believed to be scattered across the city to serve poorer citizens who did not have cooking facilities in their homes. The food items that may have been available at one of the food bars include bread with salty fish, baked cheese, and lentils.
Remarkably, the colorful frescoes painted on the counters have survived after being buried under volcanic ash for hundreds of years. A painting on one side of a counter featured a sea nymph seated on a horse. Another section of the counter depicted a person serving food on trays in an area that had containers on a shelf and some tall pitchers, or vases, nearby. The painting of the person serving food was of particular interest because archaeologists compared it to a modern shop sign advertising the nature of a business.
There are other vessels uncovered near the area looked amazingly like the vessels painted in one of the frescoes.
The discovery was made at a the Regio V excavation site at the intersection of Vicolo delle Nozze d’Argento and Vicolo dei Balconi, which has now been completely uncovered, according to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. According to the news media, that at least 80 thermopolium have been unearthed in other excavation sites near the area.