The 'thermopoly' discovered in Pompeii
In Ancient Rome, like today, it was normal to eat out , especially if, as was the case with the poorest, there was no kitchen in the home. In that case, the usual thing was to go to the thermopolio, an establishment analogous to our fast food restaurants, since the food was stored in jars, ready to serve.
The one that has just been discovered in Pompeii, baptized as Thermopoly of Regio V , is not the only one: there are about 80 in the archaeological area, preserved through the centuries thanks to the eruption of Vesuvius. but yes it is one one of the oldest and best preserved , since it has been possible to excavate it in its entirety and it even houses food remains.
The first thing that draws attention to the old premises, characterized by a bar with the aforementioned jars embedded in it, are the counter decorations . They include the image of a Nereid (nymph with the tail of a fish and the body of a woman) riding a seahorse on the longer side, while on the shorter side you can see an illustration that is probably from the shop in Yes, a kind of logo . In fact, during the excavation amphorae with the same drawing were also found, according to reports from the Pompeii Archaeological Park.
For the decoration of the pavement of the establishment, on the other hand, it was used cocciopesto , a waterproof coating made of terracotta fragments in which pieces of polychrome marble (alabaster, portasanta, green gap and bardiglio) were inserted in several areas.
BEWARE OF THE DOG
The last section of the counter to be unearthed revealed other exquisite still life scenes, with representations of animals that were probably slaughtered and sold in trade . They were also discovered bone fragments of the same animals inside the embedded containers on the counter, as in the case of the two mallard ducks shown upside down, ready to cook and eat; a rooster and a dog on a leash , the latter serving almost as a warning, in the manner of the famous Cave Canem ("Beware of the dog").
And they were not referring to a roast dog: the complete skeleton of another dog has also been found in the store , between the two doors of the Thermopolium . "It was not a large, muscular dog like the one shown on the counter, but an extremely small specimen, about 20-25 cm tall at the shoulder despite being an adult dog. Although they were not very common, the dogs of such small size indicate that the artificial selection of races took place in Roman times to obtain such a result", explain the archaeologists in charge of the excavation.
And speaking of dogs: in the aforementioned drawing of the bar, on the frame that surrounds the painting, it has been found a graffiti, a mocking inscription with the words NICIA CINAEDE CACATOR - literally "Nicias (probably, a freedman from Greece), you scoundrel shit!". "Probably, it was left by a prankster who tried to make fun of the owner, or someone who worked at the Thermopolium," the specialists explain.
"Beware of the Dog"
HUMAN REMAINS
"Another noteworthy observation is the discovery of human bones , although unfortunately they are scattered as a result of tunnels that were dug in the 17th century by illegal diggers looking for precious objects," they continue from Pompeii.
Several belong to an individual at least 50 years old, who at the time the pyroclastic current arrived, probably was in some kind of bed , as evidenced by the space reserved to store the bed and a series of nails and wood residues found under the body. Other bones, which have not yet been investigated, belong to a different individual and were found inside a large dolium -jar-, where they were possibly placed by the first excavators.
Now, all these findings will be taken to the laboratories from different universities, where it is expected to reveal new data on this thermopoly in particular and the habits of Ancient Rome in general.