Shocking discovery: they discover in Pompeii a thermop …

Shocking archaeological find in Italy, when researchers discovered a thermopolis in the archaeological area of ​​Pompeii, the city destroyed in 79 AD. Due to the eruption of Vesuvius, the place, where food and drink was served to the inhabitants of the city, was intact, decorated and even with leftover food.

The counter preserved by volcanic ash had been partially unearthed in 2019, and since then, work has been carried out to try to best preserve the entire site.

“Thermopolia” (the compound word comes from the Greek “thermopolion”, which means hot food to sell) were very common in the Roman world, and in Pompeii alone there were about 80. In this case, it is located in a very lively area, at the crossroads of the streets of Las Bodas de Plata and Los Balcones.

In these places, food was often served to the lower classes of the city. To the surprise of archaeologists, the remains of these foods sold on the streets were intact. It was possible to recover a fragment of duck bone, the remains of pork, goat, fish and snails in clay containers, ingredients that were cooked together as if it were a paella. Crushed beans were also found at the bottom of a container, which were used to alter the taste of wine.

In addition to a mural of a nereid (sea nymph) mounted on a horse, researchers also found brightly painted animals such as chickens and mallards (birds with dense plumage), which must have been sprayed with wine or hot drinks. .

The floor of the whole room is made of the so-called “cocciopesto”, an impermeable covering formed by fragments of terracotta in which fragments of polychrome marble have been inserted.

“In addition to being a testimony of daily life in Pompeii, the possibilities of analysis of this thermopole are exceptional, since for the first time a complete set has been brought to light”explained Massimo Osanna, Director General of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

He added: “The thermopolis looks like it was shut down and hastily abandoned by its owners, although it is possible that someone, perhaps the oldest, remained and died during the first stage of the eruption, when the attic collapsed. ” .

Near the spot were found amphorae, a cistern, a fountain and human bones, including those of a man in his fifties, near the cradle of a child.

The other skeleton could be that of a thief or a starving fugitive, who was “surprised by the burning fumes retaining the lid of the container he had just opened with one hand,” he added.

The city, completely covered by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, is the second most visited place in Italy after the Roman Colosseum, with nearly four million visits in 2019. So far, only a third of the site, which today covers some 44 hectares not far from Naples, it was unearthed by archaeologists.