thermopolium

During recent conservation work at Pompeii's famous Thermopolium in Regio V, archaeologists discovered an unexpected treasure: a luxurious Egyptian situla made of glass-paste faience, decorated with hunting scenes in the distinctive Nilotic style. This refined vessel from Alexandria was being used as a simple kitchen container in the back room of what was essentially an ancient Roman fast-food establishment when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, providing fascinating evidence of how cultural objects from across the Mediterranean found their way into everyday Roman life. The discovery, announced by Pompeii Sites, reveals how exotic items typically reserved for wealthy households were sometimes repurposed for practical use even in commercial kitchens. According to the official publication from the Parco Archeologico di Pompei