2000-year-old ‘Fast Food’ shop discovered In Italy’s Pompeii opens for public

Team Udayavani, Aug 11, 2021, 5:47 PM IST

A 2000-year old fast food joint called a Thermopolium -which literally means “a place where (something) hot is sold”, that belonged to the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, is opening for the public display on August 12.

The Telegraph reported, that visitors can now see the historic ‘thermopolium’, the Latin for ‘hot-drink counter’, from August 12.

Apre al pubblico dal 12 agosto il #Termopolio della Regio V, l’antica tavola calda di Pompei, portata in luce durante gli ultimi scavi in un’area della città antica mai prima indagata. pic.twitter.com/gPhWQAwkkV

— Pompeii Sites (@pompeii_sites) August 6, 2021

The archaeological site was unearthed in 2019 and contains remains that offer an insight into ancient Roman life.

As per the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, such food joints – or Thermopolia -were a common sight in the Roman era where mostly middle and lower class people used to dine if they wanted to go out.

The findings included remnants of duck bones, goats, fish, pigs, and a floor made of polychrome marble.

Massimo Osanna, director general at the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, was quoted by The Guardian, “As well as bearing witness to daily life in Pompeii, the possibilities to analyze afforded by this thermopolium are exceptional because for the first time we have excavated a site in its entirety,”

According to recorded history, after Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, Pompeii got buried under ash and pumice and the disaster killed between 2,000 and 15,000 people.