A 2,000-year-old Pompeian fresco offers a mouthwatering taste of the Roman diet.
Archaeologists in Pompeii have discovered a still-life fresco of a Mediterranean meal that looks good enough to eat. But if you think it looks like a pizza, hold the cheese.
The Archaeological Park of Pompeii unveiled the small fresco on June 27. The image was found during recent excavations in Regio IX, a section of the ancient town that contained a mix of residential houses and commercial structures, such as a laundry and a bakery, as well as the skeletal remains of at least three people.
"How can we not think about pizza," Archaeological Park of Pompeii director general Gabriel Zuchtriegel said in a statement, noting it was a food"born as a 'poor' dish in southern Italy that has now conquered the world."Hallmarks of pizza, though, include mozzarella and tomato sauce, neither of which was available to the ancient Romans living in Pompeii, an ancient vacation destination.
The still-life at Pompeii is a genre of painting called xenia — a motif that represents gifts of hospitality — the archaeologists said. The placement of this fresco in the atrium of a house could therefore reflect the homeowner's desire to treat guests well. About 300 of these still-lifes have been found at Pompeii and nearby towns.
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