Pompeii – An Egyptian glass paste vase, finely decorated with Nile hunting scenes, has been unearthed in the most unexpected place: the kitchen of a popina, a street food stand in ancient Pompeii. The discovery, made during restoration and safety work on the Regio V thermopolium, offers a new perspective on daily life and the surprising network of cultural and commercial exchanges that animated the city buried by Vesuvius.
The situla, produced in Alexandria, Egypt, was a luxury item, usually displayed in gardens or the most refined rooms of Pompeii's domus. Yet, in the back room of this modest business, it had been repurposed as a kitchen vessel, perhaps to store liquids or spices. This gesture speaks to the creativity and pragmatism of the Roman middle classes, but also to the circulation of styles, symbols, and beliefs between the eastern Mediterranean and Roman Campania.
«In this small space – explains the director of the Archaeological Park of Pompei, Gabriel Zuchtriegel – we see a blend of the sacred and the profane: decorative objects and everyday tools coexist, testifying to the cultural permeability of the Empire. It is fascinating to note how elements of Egyptian, and later Christian, worship found fertile ground not among the elite, but in the commonplaces of the city.
Archaeological investigations have allowed us to reconstruct the entire organization of the service areas: on the ground floor, a work area with a stove, mortars, pans, and amphorae from various Mediterranean regions; on the upper floor, two small rooms, one of which is decorated in the Fourth Style, with yellow flooring and elegant furnishings. These rooms, now restored and protected by new removable covers, will also be enhanced by a modern lighting system that will allow the pictorial and architectural details to be admired with new depth.
The complete analysis, published in the official e-journal of the excavations of Pompei, tells how this small back shop can become a precious key to understanding everyday life, the artistic contaminations and cultural flows that crossed the heart of the Roman Empire.
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Comments (1)
The article is very interesting and offers a new perspective on daily life in Pompeii. It's strange how such a precious vase was used in such a humble place as a kitchen. The history of this object is fascinating, but I wonder how it was discovered there.