#Thermopolia

[arcturite]

Suggestober 8: Hopeful for a snack

[ancientprettythings]

Tavern (popina or caupona) and/or eatery (thermopolia) fresco scenes from Pompeii.

Probably at a thermopolium, two pair of people are sitting down to eat. There's possibly a child standing on the right, or it might be a slave, who were depicted small to visually represent their relative societal un-importance. Note the nice detail of the hanging rail above with sausages, just as you see in shops in Italy today.

Here, a man is probably paying a landlord for a beaker of drink, though perhaps he's just purchased nuts or seeds in a cup. It's probably that which was stored in the inset jars you see in thermopolia counters, while the hot food would almost certainly have been kept on the hob behind the counter (example below, also at Pompeii).

Two men play at dice with spectators. Dice was outlawed at various times in the Roman world, but there is little doubt it went on anyway in the back rooms of cauponae.

[Photos are my original photography. Please do not save and repost - reblogging is fine.]

[barfouniverse]

In 2020, archaeologists announced the discovery of the Thermopolium of Regio V, one of the oldest snack bars at Pompeii.

It was a sort of ancient 'fast food' counter which sold ready-to-eat food.

Thermopolia were popular among the working classes and those who could not afford a private kitchen. Here customers could choose from a selection of ready-made dishes, kept warm in jars that were set into a counter.

Archaeologists have discovered an inlaid marble floor, pots and have even clues about what was on the menu - in one of the heated clay pots a residue of one 'paella-type dish including a mixture of mammals, birds, fish and snails', was discovered.

Reconstruction by PAR. Arqueología y Patrimonio Virtual

Photo by: Luigi Spina

[panelki]

Romans had their own version of fast food known as a "thermopolium." These ancient eateries were a fascinating glimpse into the culinary habits of the time. A Roman thermopolium was essentially an early form of a fast-food joint. It was a place where people could enjoy hot food and drinks on the go. What made them unique was their setup. At the heart of a thermopolium was a counter, and embedded in this counter were containers called "dolia." These dolia held a variety of dishes, from stews to sausages to simple snacks. The concept was simple and effective. Patrons could quickly purchase ready-made meals from these dolia, making it a convenient option, especially for the working class. It was like a precursor to today's fast-food restaurants, where people could grab a quick, satisfying bite to eat during their busy days. Roman thermopolia were not only places to satiate one's hunger but also hubs of social activity. People from different walks of life would gather around these counters, sharing stories and enjoying the diverse flavors of ancient Roman cuisine.

[bighistoryofgastronomy]

3. Steden

Met de opkomst van grotere nederzettingen, handelsroutes en de groei van deze stadscentra kwam er een belangrijke ontwikkeling in de geschiedenis van de gastronomie, die de manieren van voedselproductie, -distributie en -consumptie veranderde. Naarmate steden zich uitbreidden, nam ook de complexiteit van stedelijke voedselsystemen toe en ontstonden er nieuwe culinaire innovaties en eetgelegenheden.

Naarmate de stedelijke bevolking groeide, nam de vraag naar voedsel toe, waardoor efficiëntere landbouwpraktijken en distributienetwerken nodig werden. Een voorbeeld hiervan is de opkomst van stedelijke markten. Boeren op het omliggende platteland begonnen zich te specialiseren in gewassen en vee die verkocht konden worden op deze vroege handelsplaatsen.[1]

Stedelijke markten werden centrale knooppunten voor voedseldistributie en boden een breed scala aan producten van zowel lokale als verre bronnen. Deze markten waren een centrale plaats voor alles gerelateerd aan voedsel, en opende de deur voor uitwisseling van culinaire gebruiken en ingrediënten. Vroege stedelingen werden blootgesteld aan nieuwe smaken en kooktechnieken.[2][3]

Handelsroutes verbonden steden met elkaar, en breidden het aanbod van beschikbare ingrediënten verder uit. Over verloop van tijd werden kruiden, exotisch fruit en buitenlandse delicatessen steeds toegankelijker, zij het vaak tegen hoge prijzen.[4]

Met de groei van steden ontstond ook de behoefte aan gemakkelijke voedselopties voor reizigers, handelaren en stedelingen zonder toegang tot een eigen keuken. Oude beschavingen zagen de opkomst van straatverkopers, thermopolia in Rome[5] en theehuizen in en rond China,[6] die dienden als voorlopers van moderne restaurants. Deze vroege eetgelegenheden richtten zich op verschillende sociale klassen en speelden een belangrijke rol in de stadservaring. In het middeleeuwse Europa verschenen er steeds meer tavernes en herbergen, die eenvoudige gerechten en gemeenschappelijke eetervaringen aanboden. Hoewel deze plekken nog niet helemaal leken op moderne restaurants, waren ze essentieel bij het vormgeven van het concept van uit eten gaan.

Het concept van openbare eetgelegenheden heeft dus eeuwenoude wortels. Er werd in verschillende plaatsen eeuwenlang eten geserveerd. Echter, het moderne restaurant zoals we het nu kennen, ontstond in het 18e-eeuwse Parijs. In 1765 opende een soepverkoper genaamd Boulanger wat beschouwd wordt als het eerste echte restaurant, met een menu van herstellende bouillons of ‘’restaurants’’ voor klanten.[7]

Dit nieuwe eetconcept werd al snel populair en biedt een aantal belangrijke innovaties;[8]

Individuele tafels en privé-eetruimtes

Menu’s met verschillende opties en prijzen

Vaste openingstijden

Professionele koks en bedienend personeel

Het nieuwe restaurantmodel verspreidde zich snel door Europa en daarbuiten, waarbij het zich aanpaste aan lokale smaken en gewoonten. In de 19e eeuw stimuleerde de Industriële Revolutie de groei van steden en de middenklasse, waardoor er een groter clientelle voor restaurants ontstond. Mensen van verschillende afkomst en bevolkingsgroepen begonnen zich in steden te vestigen, en brachten ook hun culinaire gewoontes met zich mee. Hierdoor werden stedelijke centra broedplaatsen voor culinaire innovatie.

De opkomst van restaurants en de samenkomst van culturen bood koks een basis voor experimenten met nieuwe gerechten en presentatiestijlen. Ook ontstonden er in deze tijd culinaire scholen die kooktechnieken leerden en vastlegden.

[1] L. Civitello, Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People, h. 1.

[2] J. Pilcher, Food in World History,

[3] P. Frankopan, The Earth Transformed, p. 112-115, 277.

[4] L. Civitello, Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People, p. 24, 80.

[5] C. Holleran, Finding Commerce: The Taberna and the Identification of Roman Commercial Space, p. 147.

[6] V. Sartor, All the Tea in China: The Political Impact of Tea, p. 185.

[7] R. Spang, The Invention of the Restaurant, Introduction.

[8] Idem, Preface, h. 5.

[adribosch-fan]

El primer restaurante de la historia

Los restaurantes se inventaron en Francia y el primero se remonta al año 1765. Fran Navarro  Historiador y experto en documentación Los establecimientos que venden comida existen desde los orígenes de la civilización. Los romanos extendieron por todo el imperio el uso de locales como los thermopolia, donde se vendía comida caliente, y también estaban las posadas medievales, que tienen cierta…

[myseafoodrestaurant]

Tasting the World: An International Cuisine Experience in Our Restaurant

Restaurants have been an integral part of human civilization for centuries. They provide a space for people to come together, share a meal, and enjoy each other's company. Whether it's a fancy fine-dining establishment or a cozy local spot, restaurants offer a unique experience that can't be replicated at home. In this blog post, we'll explore the different types of restaurants, the history of restaurants, and what makes a great restaurant.

Types of Restaurants

Restaurants come in all shapes and sizes, catering to different tastes and preferences. Here are some of the most common types of restaurants:

Fine Dining: Fine dining restaurants offer a luxurious and upscale experience, with high-end cuisine and formal service.

Casual Dining: Casual dining restaurants offer a more relaxed atmosphere, with affordable prices and a menu that caters to a wide range of tastes.

Fast Food: Fast food restaurants provide quick and convenient meals at low prices, often with a limited menu.

Family Style: Family style restaurants offer large portions of food meant to be shared, often served on platters or in bowls.

Buffets: Buffets allow customers to serve themselves from a wide variety of dishes, often for a set price.

History of Restaurants

The concept of a restaurant as we know it today has its roots in ancient Rome, where wealthy citizens would visit thermopolia - small shops that sold hot food and drinks. However, it wasn't until the late 18th century that the modern restaurant began to take shape. The first true restaurant is believed to be the Parisian establishment Boulanger, which opened in 1765 and served bouillon - a simple soup made from meat and vegetables. In the 19th century, restaurants began to spread throughout Europe and the United States, becoming more diverse and specialized.

What Makes a Great Restaurant?

What makes a great restaurant is subjective and varies from person to person. However, there are some key elements that most people would agree on:

Quality Food: The food is the most important aspect of any restaurant. Great restaurants offer high-quality ingredients, creative and well-executed dishes, and a menu that caters to a range of tastes and preferences.

Exceptional Service: A great restaurant provides excellent service that is attentive, knowledgeable, and welcoming. Customers should feel comfortable and well taken care of throughout their dining experience.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere of a restaurant sets the tone for the entire dining experience. A great restaurant has a welcoming and comfortable ambiance that complements the food and service.

Consistency: Consistency is key in any restaurant. A great restaurant delivers the same high-quality food and service every time, ensuring that customers know what to expect.

Value: While price isn't the only factor in determining value, a great restaurant offers fair prices for the quality of food and service provided.

In conclusion, restaurants are a crucial part of our society, providing a space for people to come together and enjoy delicious food in a welcoming atmosphere. Whether it's fine dining or casual eats, a great restaurant offers quality food, exceptional service, a comfortable atmosphere, consistency, and value.

[searchtherestaurants]

What Is a Restaurant?

A restaurant is an establishment that gives food to clients. It could be a standalone company or be affixed to various other services. The main distinctions in between a dining establishment and other services are service, design of offering, expense, and area. Regardless of the business model, restaurants are a key economic contributor to a city's economy. There are several variants of the dining establishment, which include great dining, junk food, laid-back dining, and much more. For example, a junk food restaurant could market pre-made foods, while a great eating establishment might serve only exquisite food. Likewise, a laid-back restaurant might provide an affordable, yet satisfying dish. One more example is a dining establishment which provides drive-through solutions. Historically, the term dining establishment was utilized in numerous languages, consisting of Spanish and French. Throughout the Enlightenment age, the well-off vendor class in Paris started to utilize the term. Here's a good read about restaurant, check this link out! Therefore, a variety of brand-new restaurants opened. Among them was the Simpson's Fish Supper House, which served the popular "fish normal" for two shillings. To gather more awesome ideas, go to website here to get started. The beginnings of the word dining establishment can be mapped back to the old Greeks, who were known to have had several sorts of consuming establishments. They included roadside inns, inns for visitors, and even thermopoliae, which were prototypes for modern-day convenience food stands. Numerous variations of the restaurant can be found in other languages. In France, for instance, a dining establishment is called a table d'hote. A table d'hote is an open-air dish served at a set price to a variety of consumers. Originally, a table d'hote contained a public table, without any food selection or food selection products. At some point, restaurants evolved into more advanced offerings, such as the multi-course kaiseki eating custom that included special offering recipes. One more version of the restaurant is the gastropub, a pub which offers a wide variety of food, commonly with a concentrate on consuming. Bars are additionally understood for their enjoyment options, that include dancing floors, TVs, and also games. Now, a gastropub could offer a variety of drinks, such as beer, red wine, and also alcohol. Nevertheless, the most typical kind of dining establishment in the US is a convenience food dining establishment. These facilities typically offer pre-made food, often with an affordable price factor. Convenience food restaurants are typically franchised chains that supply standard food selection items. Dining establishments are a large component of the city's economy, as well as the sector continues to develop. This schedules in huge part to consumer fads, such as changing preferences for food and also drink options, a growing number of single-parent households, as well as a climbing percentage of individuals with higher earnings. In addition, dining establishment owners are frequently discovering brand-new ways to maintain their business thriving. Such advancements include modern technology, such as chatbots and also scheduling systems, and specialized phone apps. While the dining establishment industry is always progressing, the newest patterns are usually centered on development. As an example, the National Restaurant Association lately released its five restaurant patterns for 2020. Several of these include the addition of more healthful and organic food options, along with the rise in restaurant dimension and also the development of innovation. Kindly visit this website https://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Restaurant for more useful reference.

[tastesoftamriel]

Recently found out about thermopolia, places in ancient rome where you could buy quick and easy take-out food or the roman version of fastfood. And I can't help but wonder what each of the Scrolls races would sell at their own thermopolia.

I'm of the opinion that Tamriel would grind to a halt without quick foods to keep us going. Every Province of course has its own specialties, but these are some of the most popular snacks you have to try!

Altmer

Eating on the go is difficult to manage in Summerset. After all, eating with your hands is uncouth, so what is one to do? Ricepaper-wrapped salads are a staple for healthy eating when pressed for time, and can contain any number of ingredients one likes. Common fillings for these ricepaper rolls include lettuce, shredded carrots and cucumber, sweet shrimp, cold roast chicken, and tahini.

Argonians

While Argonians prefer to sit down for a meal with friends and family, sometimes it's necessary to grab a bite before heading into the swamp. Saltrice steamed in banana leaf packages with tasty ingredients on the side makes the ideal portable meal. Each package is water-tight and contains just enough for a single meal, while the banana leaf imparts a great aroma on the saltrice. For something similar, why not try my Blackwood Stuffed Banana Leaves?

Bosmer

Out of all the races, the Wood Elves have truly mastered the art of quick and easy foods to eat on the road. While it's less appetising than other snacks, pemmican, a type of dried meat and tallow patty, is great for filling your belly when you don't have the time for a meal. It can be eaten as is, or is sometimes pre-fried to make a crunchy, meaty snack. More interesting than jerky, and quite nutritious too!

Bretons

High Rock is renowned for its excellent inns, and many of them cater to travellers needing a quick bite to eat. Hot pies and pasties are a Provincial favourite, and they are usually filled with meat and vegetables, though plenty of other variants exist. When I'm in High Rock, I spend a lot of time eating my favourite steak, cheese and onion pasties, or a good steak pie with mushy peas on the side.

Dunmer

Dunmeri traders and travellers for centuries swear by wickwheat rolls, which are soft rolls that are a bit like a cross between puff pastry and rye bread. These rolls are baked with fillings and are easy to bring around with you, and taste great regardless of their temperature. One of the most common variants is a chunky mix of scuttle, hackle-lo leaf, and nix-hound meat paste, which is seasoned with a good amount of herbs and spices. It's meaty and creamy, and sure to keep you sated for some time.

Imperials

There are so many types of snack foods in Cyrodiil that it would take a day and a half to list all of them, but out of all of them, fried bread sandwiches are probably the most common and popular due to their versatility. These aren't sandwiches per se, but are pockets of bread that are flash fried in olive oil after being stuffed with ingredients like cured meats, cheese, tomatoes, and peppers. They are usually served with a topping of fresh salad and shaved pecorino.

Khajiit

Rice rolls, rice rolls, we love rice rolls! These wonderful snacks are easily portable, making them the ideal meal on the go, and they taste great hot or cold too. Fresh fish, vegetables, pickled spicy cabbage, and grilled meat are among the fillings you'll find tightly wrapped in a sizeable tube of seasoned brown rice, which is wrapped again in nori to hold the tube together. Filling and delicious!

Nords

There's nothing better than a fresh hot waffle on a cold day...except for a freshly grilled horker sausage or rabbit meatballs wrapped in a waffle, with a good spoonful of crispy fried onions, juniper berry relish, and strong wholegrain mustard. Eating these gracefully is an impossible task, so remember to pack napkins!

Orcs

Most Orcs prefer sitting down to a meal than a quick lunch on the go, but if you're heading out the door, it doesn't hurt to pack a potato croquette or two. Mashed potato is patted around meat and diced radishes, rolled in panko breadcrumbs, and deep fried until crispy. These greasy treats stay warm for ages when packed in metal lunchboxes, so they're ideal for travellers.

Redguards

The Redguards use folded cactus skins to make takeaway boxes, and their watertight properties mean that it's possible to pack soups quickly and easily for eating on the go. A goat meatball stew drizzled with yoghurt and honey is a nomad's favourite dish as it contains all the nutrition you need to stay alive in the inhospitable Alik'r for extended periods of time. The lid also acts as a way to eat your soup without sand getting in- just slurp it through a straw! You can also try my Pack Guar Pide for a Hammerfell-style street food favourite!

[archaeologicalnews]

2,000-Year-Old Fast Food Shop Uncovered in Pompeii

Archaeologists have unearthed a frescoed thermopolium (a hot-food-drink shop) in Pompeii, an ancient Roman city frozen in time after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.

“Thermopolia, where drinks and hot foods were served and stored in large dolia (jars) embedded in the masonry counter, were widespread in the Roman world, where it was typical to consume the prandium (the meal) outside the house. In Pompeii alone there are 80 thermopolia,” Dr. Massimo Osanna, interim director general of the Parco Archeologico di Pompei, and colleagues said in a statement.

“As well as being another insight into daily life at Pompeii, the possibilities for study of the newly-discovered thermopolium are exceptional, because for the first time an area of this type has been excavated in its entirety, and it has been possible to carry out all the analyses that today’s technology permits.” Read more.

[ancientstuff]

That’s some gorgeous artwork for a snack bar, I have to say. The excavations at Pompeii have been outstanding in terms of the finds lately. 

[thesnowflakenecklace]

me waiting for michael to be out of quarantine 

[corvid-sol]

Ancient Roman Thermopolium

Romans could get a hot meal at a thermopolium, where dishes made with legumes, meats and cheeses were served. Clay containers sunk into the counters kept the hot food insulated. Thermopolia also offered a favored fermented fish sauce called Garum. This pungent sauce was used as a condiment, heaped over servings of lentils and pork.

CC pictured here includes creations from Simaddix, Murfeelee, Simszoo, Martassimsbook, ATS3 and many others

[dwellordream]

“We can learn a great deal from the remains of housing, especially what little is preserved of the lower classes and poorer inhabitants of the cities. The dark, cramped quarters of one- and two room apartments like those of some multiple-residence buildings of Herculaneum, Pompeii, and Ostia, or the small back and upper rooms of shops in places like the main street in Ephesus, are examples of the crowded, poorly ventilated, and generally unhealthy conditions in which most of the urban population lived. If such people cooked for themselves at all, it would have to have been on some makeshift portable apparatus in a nearby outside space. 

More likely, they bought fresh bread, fruit, and vegetables at local markets and got most of their cooked food from neighborhood vendors and thermopolia—the equivalent of fast-food restaurants. They ate meat rarely if at all, typically only when present at feasts given by wealthy city patrons. If they bathed, it was in the public baths, apparently open to both men and women. They used public latrines. They birthed their children at home with the possible help of a midwife. They were raised in an environment of intimate social relationships and no privacy.

Material remains, of course, cannot tell the whole story. When they are combined with select literary evidence, a picture of everyday life emerges. We know little about the family life of the lower classes in the Roman Empire: it is not at all certain how much legislation affected them, and the letters that yield valuable information about how life was really lived come largely from the elites. Even inscriptions, which in the Roman era often give extensive social information, come mostly from those with sufficient wealth to be able to afford them. Sometimes, however, the most imposing monuments are not those of the elite but of people of humbler origins who have acquired enough property to be able to proclaim to the world their success and prosperity. 

One thinks, for instance, of the garishly imposing monument of the baker Marcus Virgilius Eurysaces and his wife, Atistia, at Porta Maggiore in Rome or the double commemoration of the freedwoman Naevoleia Tyche, who erected an imposing monument for herself and her freedman husband, Gaius Munatius Faustus, and their familia of freedmen and freedwomen outside the Herculaneum Gate at Pompeii, but whose remains were found, with those of her husband, in a simple tomb in a different cemetery area. The poor inhumation and incineration burials of the open field at Isola Sacra near Ostia probably once had such family information painted on their clay tiles, now disappeared.

And beyond these, there was the feared common public burial ground. To avoid that unacceptable alternative, burial societies of tenuiores, or little people, were common. Members would meet regularly, usually once a month, and make a modest contribution into a common chest. These gatherings functioned as social clubs as well, but one of their main purposes was to provide a decent burial for their members, who otherwise feared not to be able to afford it. The late-second-century theologian/apologist Tertullian describes the monthly contribution of Christians toward burials and other charitable works in very similar terms (Apology 39.6). 

Guilds and social clubs of those who had a common trade were also readily formed. Patronage of these burial societies and workers’ associations was part of the honorable behavior of the elite, both men and women. It earned them statues, inscriptions, and glory from the grateful members. Whether for upper or lower classes, standards of sanitation and safety left much to be desired. Disease was rampant and life expectancy low. With no knowledge of how diseases spread, inhabitants were defenseless against it, especially in the large cities. 

Most methods of prevention and healing were folk remedies or magical incantations with very mixed success. Garments made of wool, the standard material for most clothing, were bleached with urine, both human and animal, before being treated with other chemicals, including sulphur, and washed. Most hygiene arrangements were primitive. Apartment buildings and larger houses had their own common latrines, but no centralized plumbing for waste removal. Public latrines were accessible to all, seemingly for both sexes. Defecation and urination were not considered private functions. 

The cities had public baths, accessible to everyone, and these promoted cleanliness and hygiene but could also be a way of spreading disease. Diseases like malaria and tuberculosis were indigenous in many areas; no one had knowledge of how they were spread. The use of lead piping to bring in the city water supply was common, with no one aware of the health hazards involved in the use of lead. Lacking knowledge of bacteria or how to kill them, people had no way except visual and olfactory inspection to know whether water was drinkable or not. 

Though there were famous medical schools in existence by this time and scholarly medical manuals being written, actual knowledge of diseases and how to prevent and treat them was very primitive. Generally, if the body could not heal itself of disease and illness, the person simply died. Illnesses like influenza, pneumonia, or appendicitis were surely fatal. Child mortality was extremely high. If one survived the first year or so, life expectancy rose considerably, but never beyond about forty years. 

By the time a child reached the age of ten, half of his or her birth cohort were dead. Few children grew to adulthood with both parents surviving. The customary age disparity at first marriage, in which the husband was as many as ten to fifteen years older than the bride, resulted years later in many marriageable widows. In times of war, the imbalance may have evened out as male mortality mounted. But even in times of peace, the high incidence of women’s death in childbirth also contributed to balancing out the population.

Probably more among the elites than ordinary people, girls were often married by the age of twelve and sometime pregnant even before their first menstruation. Early and constant childbearing took a terrible toll on their health. The health of most inhabitants must have been rather miserable most of the time. With the possible exception of the pampered wealthy, people were old, with rotting teeth and poor eyesight, by about the age of thirty. Diseases associated with malnutrition must have been abundant, especially among the poorer segments of the population. A few survived into their seventies, eighties, and perhaps even nineties. Those who were still alive at these advanced ages, however, represented 1 percent or less of their birth cohort. 

Skill in counting years of age varied. Roman epitaphs sometimes record age at death not only by years, but by months and days. Yet in other cases, age is estimated or guessed at, sometimes with the approximation symbol , “plus minus,” “more or less.” Another factor to take into account when trying to get some sense of the world in which the first followers of Jesus lived is the level of violence and overt sexuality to which they were constantly exposed. 

First of all, artistic representations in everything from official civic art to the paintings on the walls of private houses graphically portrayed violent scenes: battles between armies, fights between two individuals, gladiatorial shows, mythological battles and conflicts, mythological stories depicting torture, and animals fighting and devouring one another, the last usually a lion attacking a bull, deer, or other defenseless animal. These artistic representations must have created a level of desensitization that enabled the inhabitants to view the real thing. 

Public executions were carried out in the most brutal way possible, and public games featured varying forms of violent entertainment: animal against animal, animal against gladiator, gladiator against gladiator, and execution of criminals by animal attack and whatever other ingenious ways could be thought up, often the enactment of the same mythological stories of torture and death depicted in sculpture and painting. In a culture in which the thirst for blood is mostly satisfied vicariously in competitive sports and artificial representation in film and television, it is very difficult to imagine what life was like when surrounded constantly by such a level of actual violence in public adornment and entertainment.

Nor was violence limited to civic uses. Slavery was an institution maintained by the threat and use of violence. Slaves were punished by beatings, torture, and executions. Every slave knew the consequences of breaking the rules or of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For example, four hundred household slaves of Lucius Pedanius Secundus were executed under Nero, according to ancient custom, in spite of pleas for mercy both in the Senate and from the public. This was because their master had been murdered in his urban house; the assumption was that someone in the household was guilty and that if someone wanted to, he or she could have prevented it (Tacitus Annals 14.42–45). 

This underlying violence maintained the social system. Those who benefited from it taught their children to perpetuate it. The schoolmasters and tutors, afforded only by the wealthy elite, assumed that children were recalcitrant and must be forced to learn by threat of punishment, which the teacher did not hesitate to carry out when necessary. Boys were raised with strict rules and expectations to form them into strong and courageous men who could be self-disciplined and resist pain. In Roman discussions of child rearing, severe corporal punishment of sons was considered bad form and discouraged, though some beating of male children was condoned. 

Yet a clear distinction was made between the loving discipline of a father for his son and the harsh discipline with which slaves were treated. Only under Christian influence did the difference recede somewhat. Along the lines of the Stoic argument that virtue is freedom and vice is the real slavery, later Christian authors like Lactantius and Augustine lessened the rhetorical difference between slaves and sons, the result of which was the principle that, since both sons and slaves are sinners saved by Christ, so both should be equally punished for their own good!

Sexuality, too, was inescapable from an early age. Nudity in public art and sculpture was quite common, as it was in the garden sculpture and paintings that adorned the walls of houses and other places where children might see them. The close quarters in which most poorer people lived made any kind of privacy impossible. Even in most well-to-do houses, young slaves attended their master or mistress for the most intimate of functions and activities. We would suspect that no one grew up innocent of sex, except the daughters of wealthy families who were brought up in sufficiently spacious houses and deliberately shielded from public display to make them acceptable elite brides. But even in this case, there was still the household art. 

An ancient Mediterranean history from below is not confined to the lives of independent poorer people. The advanced agrarian society of the first-century Roman Empire had no middle class as it is known today in capitalist societies, an independently wealthy middle sector of the society that is dominant in numbers. The majority were rather the peasants working the land and villages, along with the urban poor. There were certainly varying levels of poverty and wealth, however. In this non-capitalist, advanced agrarian society, prestige was not judged primarily by wealth but by status. 

Those who belonged to the underside of society did not have and would never have the status they envied in the small number of elites who possessed their high status from birth. They could observe these elites during public functions, and they must have been quite aware of how the entire social system was controlled by them and oriented to their opulent lifestyle. Others aimed to emulate them in whatever ways they could. 

There is evidence that some fortunate few who began in slavery could achieve a relatively comfortable and affluent way of life, though without the social recognition and access to public honors that they envied. Petronius’s Trimalchio in his Satyricon set in first-century Rome, like Molière’s Bourgeois Gentilhomme in seventeenth-century France, is the parody of someone, in this case a very wealthy freedman, who aspires to live as the elites live. As a result, he is brilliantly satirized and made to appear as a fool. While wildly exaggerated for the sake of satire, the figure of Trimalchio represents the elite’s resentment for such people.”

- Carolyn Osiek, “Family Matters.” in Christian Origins

[digital-arts-etc]

Reconstructing the Menu of a Pub in Ancient Pompeii

Eat like a first-century Roman, using recent archaeological discoveries as your guide.

by Farrell Monaco January 26, 2021

The thermopolium’s counter with animal frescoes and embedded dolia. Courtesy of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii/Luigi Spina 

The mallards, left, might be serving as a pictorial menu here. Courtesy of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii/Luigi Spina

A fresco at Casa dei Vettii, a luxurious home in Pompeii. Farrell Monaco

A fresco depicting tavern life in Regio VI of Pompeii. ArchaiOptix/CC BY-SA 4.0  

In the second century, Pliny the Younger wrote a letter to the Roman historian Tacitus, recounting the early stages of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.* From his villa in Misenum, across the Bay of Naples from the volcano, he remembered seeing a dark cloud, shaped like an umbrella pine tree, filling the sky over the mountains flanking the northern edge of Sarno River plain. What followed was something that no one in the region was prepared for. A day after Pliny observed that dark cloud, a small tavern in a northeastern section of Pompeii collapsed, along with the rest of the town, under the weight of pumice and ash. This was later followed by a fast-moving pyroclastic surge of hot gas, volcanic debris, and ash that signaled the volcano’s final devastating blow: Those who stayed behind in Pompeii and Herculaneum were killed instantly by this infernal wave of heat, estimated to have been as high as 900° Fahrenheit. The barkeep of this tavern was one of these poor souls. He didn’t make it out of the establishment in time and perished in the cot where he slept, along with a dog and a man who had taken refuge inside the tavern with them.

In December 2020, archaeologists at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii announced that they had found the remains of these two men and the dog as they were excavating this ancient food establishment, known as a thermopolium. Located in Regio V, on the western edge of the unexcavated northeastern section of Pompeii, the well-preserved thermopolium’s counter, ceramic storage containers (known as dolia), and wall art offer some of the most pristine and moving finds to be discovered in recent years at the site.

To begin, the space’s large masonry counter was adorned with frescoes depicting scenes of daily life inside the venue, such as the flagons and cooking implements hung above the bar and the image of a porter making a delivery, as well as a portrait of a Greek sea nymph riding a seahorse and images of mallards, a chicken, and a dog. Leaning against the bar were several ceramic wine jars, known as amphorae, which originally housed locally produced and imported Greek wines. Lastly, some of the dolia contained the bones of several types of animals and one dolium contained remains belonging to one of the men (in the case of the latter, it’s likely they were placed there by 18th-century looters). 

As a classical archaeologist whose research centers on food and food preparation in the Roman Mediterranean, I am overjoyed by finds like these, as the information obtained from them shines a bright light on the daily lives of classes of Roman society that are poorly represented in ancient literary sources: slaves and average, working Romans. Spaces like this thermopolium provide archaeologists like me with a realistic portrayal of what Roman food culture was like in comparison to sensational portrayals of Roman food culture, such as those found in satirical literary sources like Petronius’s “Trimalchio’s Banquet” or portrayed in opulent frescoes like those adorning the dining-room walls of the House of the Vettii, an exceptionally well-preserved luxury domus.

In contrast, this thermopolium invites us into an archaeological environment that gives an indication of where many everyday Pompeiians enjoyed cooked meals. According to Dr. Anna Maria Sodo, director and archaeology officer of the Antiquarium of Boscoreale, in the Vesuvian area alone, only 40 percent of the urban dwellings of the working poor and 66 percent of the middle-class homes had fixed hearths for cooking. To meet this high demand, there were at least 80 food and beverage outlets at Pompeii (the site has yet to be fully excavated). But what types of foods did these thermopolia serve to the everyday citizens?

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/recreate-the-menu-of-pompeii-ancient-pub?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[historybizarre]

[This] thermopolium invites us into an archaeological environment that gives an indication of where many everyday Pompeiians enjoyed cooked meals. According to Dr. Anna Maria Sodo, director and archaeology officer of the Antiquarium of Boscoreale, in the Vesuvian area alone, only 40 percent of the urban dwellings of the working poor and 66 percent of the middle-class homes had fixed hearths for cooking. To meet this high demand, there were at least 80 food and beverage outlets at Pompeii (the site has yet to be fully excavated). But what types of foods did these thermopolia serve to the everyday citizens?