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| Among the murals of a cafeteria unearthed in Pompeii, a painting depicting a nymph riding a seahorse. (Reuters-Yonhap News) |
In Pompeii, Italy, a eatery that the common people of the ancient Roman era used to eat appeared to the world.
Pompeii Archaeological Park, which preserves and manages the Pompeii ruins, unearthed the ruins of a eatery that sold street food 2,000 years ago and released it to the press on the 26th (local time).
The most striking thing in the ruins unearthed this time is the murals with vivid colors and image shapes.
On the wall of the place where it is supposed to be sold, ducks and roosters, a dog tied with a leash, and a sea nymph (a goddess or fairy in Greek and Roman mythology) riding a seahorse are depicted.
Among them, the animals expressed in pictures are considered to be used as food ingredients.
In addition,’paella’ made with fish and meat, and several pottery jars with the remnants of the food at the time, such as goat, pig, cow, snail, and wine with ground beans, were excavated to attract attention.
In the ancient Roman era, eateries are known primarily as places where the lower class served simple meals at low cost.
In Pompeii and others, more than 80 such eateries have been out of the world so far, and the ones discovered this time are said to be the best preserved.
Dr. Massimo Osanna, the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, said, “It was the first of the snack restaurants to be excavated in full form, and the value of academic research in archeology, geology, volcanology, etc. is very high.”
In particular, he added that food residues are important clues to determine what foods the ancient Romans mainly consumed, and that further research will be conducted in the future. It turned into ruins in an instant.
With the excavation of the ruins during the construction of the waterway in the 16th century, the excavation work began in earnest, and now the city has reached the level where the form of the past can be vaguely guessed.
It was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 because of its excellent preservation and great archaeological value that gives a glimpse into the lives of people at that time. It is also a tourist attraction visited by over 4 million domestic and foreign visitors a year. ()
