Excavation of the “Fast Food Counter” in Pompeii

If you haven’t seen the photos of the recently excavated “fast-food” counter from the Ancient Roman city of Pompeii, buried wholesale from the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE, here’s your chance.

Located in what archaeologists call the “Regio V” section of the city, this is the first completely intact “thermapolium” or “hot snacks” food takeout to be unearthed. You can see in the second photo what the area looked like in 2019 when excavations started. That shot also gives you a good impression of how the thermapolim operated — clay terracotta jars called “dolia” would be set up for view, and customers could choose from a selection. The lovely murals of this particular thermapolium show animals that might have indicated the sorts of food sold there: ducks and roosters. Snails, goats, and pigs were also part of the menu.

As many as 150 thermapolia existed in Pompeii, indicating the popularity of this type of establishment. At least 98% of the city’s inhabitants had a dull and repetitive diet that included grains, cheese, and dried fruits. Living on top floors of mulit-storied buildings, they didn’t have elaborate kitchens, and likely welcomed these spots. The thermapolia’s counters opened onto the street, and had painted backdrops behind that caught the eyes of wandering customers– the third photo is a mural of a thermapolium.

The next step of the excavation process will be the chemical analysis of the interiors of the jars. This sort of archaeology is increasingly shedding light on the lives of ordinary people from the distant past. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis from the bones of two cemeteries just outside Rome (1st-3rd c CE) revealed that millet was a super common grain consumed by the poor. So coarse that it was used as birdseed and animal fodder, millet was likely to be the type of food commoners could escape from at the thermopolium of Pompeii’s Regio V.