While most people remember how the ancient Roman city of Pompeii perished as a result of the destructive volcanic tantrum of Mt. Vesuvius, experts working on a long-term study have come across some interesting facts about the eating habits of its residents.
Experts from the University of Cincinnati excavated evidences showing how the commoners and the elite dined. Ordinary people feasted on grains, nuts, fruits, eggs and fish.The wealthy were able to afford delicacies such as sea urchins, shellfish and exotic meats. Archaeologists unearthed a leg joint from an unusual butchered meat – giraffe.
That the bone represents the height of exotic food is underscored by the fact that this is thought to be the only giraffe bone ever recorded from an archaeological excavation in Roman Italy. How part of the animal, butchered, came to be a kitchen scrap in a seemingly standard Pompeian restaurant not only speaks of long-distance trade in exotic and wild animals, but also something of the richness, variety and range of a non-elite diet," said UC Classics Department professor Steven Ellis.
Experts have been digging the ancient city for over 10 years and their findings have shed light on how homes and businesses were like before Pompeii as destroyed in 79 AD. The latest excavations were done in Porta Stabia, one of the busiest gates of Pompeii.
Ellis and his team studied the remains they recovered from ancient drains, cesspits and latrines of buildings and shops.
"The material from the drains revealed a range and quantity of materials to suggest a rather clear socio-economic distinction between the activities and consumption habits of each property, which were otherwise indistinguishable hospitality businesses," Ellis pointed out.
The discoveries somehow changes the concept of how urbanites in the ancient city led their lives. Well-to-do families were able to afford imported food while those in the lower strata of society had to be content with a simple yet varied diet.
"The ultimate aim of our research is to reveal the structural and social relationships over time between working-class Pompeian households, as well as to determine the role that sub-elites played in the shaping of the city and to register their response to city-and Mediterranean-wide historical, political and economic developments. However, one of the larger datasets and themes of our research has been diet and the infrastructure of food consumption and food ways," Ellis added.
