Pompeii fast food counter

[Brian G Turner]

Love the images painted on this counter and how they've survived:

Pompeii: Ancient 'fast food' counter to open to the public

Newly unveiled bright frescos are believed to show the food that was available in the Roman city.

www.bbc.co.uk

The only thing is, the article mentions that these images may reflect food sold there - but there's also an image of a dog on a lead on the right of it!

 

[Hugh]

If I remember rightly (always doubtful) there are a number of these stalls/shops in Pompeii with the same type of counter but none have these wonderful paintings that make it look almost as if the owner has just shut up for the holiday.

Here's a closer view of the dog:

There are several other mosaics/paintings in Pompeii of a dog on a leash: the most famous has the CAVE CANEM inscription. Perhaps the dog here is giving the same warning.

Pompeii guard dog mosaic back on show

Tourists can see a vivid Roman dog mosaic at Pompeii again, despite Italy's conservation problems there.

www.bbc.co.uk

another one:

and, having nothing better to do right now:

 

[Pyan]

Anyone who's read the Marcus Didius Falco novels by Lindsey Davis would recognise this as just the sort of caupona that our hero would have frequented on stake-outs or snatched a hurried meal in the evening from.
There's a misspelling in the story - termopolium for thermopolium, meaning a hot-food counter shop: however, anyone selling hot food from one of these at that time would probably been hauled off by the vigiles and fined, as Emperors from Tiberius onward banned the sale of most hot foods on the street. Vespasian had limited this down to basically pulses and vegetables, and his son Titus , who had just acceded to the purple when Vesuvius blew its top, agreed with his dad - it was basically an early example of austerity being imposed.

Food Provisioning and Social Control in Ancient Rome

 

[Hugh]

Food Provisioning and Social Control in Ancient Rome

These are very interesting. Many thanks for posting them.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Great stuff Brian.

 

[Allegra]

It's amazing how new discoveries keep on coming out from there.

 

[Parson]

Thanks for the article.

 

[thestars]

Fun fact about ancient Rome: among city dwellers, the rich ate at home, while the poor ate out. The poor could only afford tiny apartments with no kitchen, which means no ability to cook. That's why the thermopolium was so common--without them, the poor wouldn't be able to eat. The rich could afford not just a kitchen, but slaves to do the cooking.