Roman food stand found with great art

Ancalagon

Dusty Dragon

• Dec 27, 2020

• #1

This is amazing!

Ancient snack stall uncovered in Pompeii, revealing bright frescoes and traces of 2,000-year-old street food | CNN

Archaeologists in Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD, have made the extraordinary find of a frescoed hot food and drinks shop that served up the ancient equivalent of street food to Roman passersby.

www.cnn.com

I find that historical imagery can be very good to help us imagine RPG worlds. Enjoy.

 

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aco175

Legend

• Dec 28, 2020

• #2

I wonder if the food was placed in the holes directly or if coals are placed in and food is kept warm in bowls. I also wonder if individuals pay for this and runs it or if the city owns locations they rent to people.

 

Eltab

Lord of the Hidden Layer

• Dec 28, 2020

• #3

aco175 said:

I wonder if the food was placed in the holes directly or if coals are placed in and food is kept warm in bowls. I also wonder if individuals pay for this and runs it or if the city owns locations they rent to people.

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The owner put art on display, so he must have thought this was more permanent than temporary. I do not know if he rented the space from a wealthy patron or from the City (or marketplace) directly.
I will guess that somebody carefully marked the boundary between public road / square and private property / villa and built just at the edge.

 

MGibster

Legend

• Dec 28, 2020

• #4

I'd like a #1 with extra titmouse and garum please.

 

J

Jfdlsjfd

.

• Dec 28, 2020

• #5

aco175 said:

I wonder if the food was placed in the holes directly or if coals are placed in and food is kept warm in bowls. I also wonder if individuals pay for this and runs it or if the city owns locations they rent to people.

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The holes are storing areas called doliae. Even if we can readily imagine people eating at the counter, few thermopolia had a sitting area. It was used by the cook to keep the ingredients (either raw or pre-cooked), and the food was purchased "to go", with the cook working at an oven and just putting the food into the doliae. Evidence of food have been found directly inside the holes in other cases.

 

Last edited: Dec 28, 2020

Umbran

Mod Squad

Staff member

Supporter

• Dec 28, 2020

• #6

aco175 said:

I wonder if the food was placed in the holes directly or if coals are placed in and food is kept warm in bowls.

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The article says, "Traces of nearly 2,000-year-old food were found in some of the deep terra cotta jars containing hot food which the shop keeper lowered into a counter with circular holes."

 

Ancalagon

Dusty Dragon

• Dec 28, 2020

• #7

MGibster said:

I'd like a #1 with extra titmouse and garum please.

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bravo

I'm glad I'm not the only one excited by this find

 

BookTenTiger

He / Him

• Dec 28, 2020

• #8

Discoveries like this are so fun to me because it makes it that much easier to imagine myself in the past. I got a pretzel from a cart in the park last week; someone got a Pompeii Pretzel from this cart 2000 years ago.

 

Ralif Redhammer

Legend

• Dec 28, 2020

• #9

That is a wonderful window into the past, so well preserved.

If anyone is curious about ancient Roman cooking, I'd recommend Dalby and Grainger's The Classical Cookbook. The Honey Glazed Shrimp recipe in it is a delight.

 

MGibster

Legend

• Dec 29, 2020

• #10

BookTenTiger said:

Discoveries like this are so fun to me because it makes it that much easier to imagine myself in the past. I got a pretzel from a cart in the park last week; someone got a Pompeii Pretzel from this cart 2000 years ago.

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And it's good fodder for making additions to our own settings to make them feel alive.