A a still life depicting a flatbread adorned with toppings was discovered in the atrium of an ancient Pompeian house. It looks a lot like pizza, the experts pointed out, but it can’t be, because the tomatoes and mozzarella hadn’t come into the picture yet.
In the painting, a goblet of wine sits on a silver tray, with what appears to be a focaccia garnished with various fruits (archaeologists have identified a pomegranate and possibly a date). The bread is seasoned with spices or perhaps pesto, while nearby are dried fruits, yellow strawberry trees, dates and pomegranates.
Pompeii is just outside Naples, which was named a World Heritage Site in 2017 in recognition of “the traditional art of the Neapolitan pizza maker”.
The ancient city was destroyed and covered in ash by the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, its structures and deceased inhabitants have been preserved in remarkable detail. Excavations began in 1748. The house with the still life was partially excavated in 1888 and 1891; work resumed there in January.
“Pompeii never ceases to amaze,” Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said in a statement announcing the find. “It’s a setting that always reveals new treasures.”
Courtesy of Pompeii Archaeological Park.
Such images, known as xenia in antiquity, referred to gifts reflecting hospitality which were, according to Greek tradition dating back to the Hellenistic period, given to guests of the household. The Vesuvian cities yielded several hundred representations of this type.
“Apart from the precise identification of the foods represented, we find in this fresco some themes from the Hellenistic tradition, elaborated later by authors of the Roman imperial period such as Virgil, Martial and Philostratus”, declared the director of the Archaeological Park. of Pompeii, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, in a press release.
“I am thinking of the contrast between a frugal and simple meal, which refers to a sphere between the bucolic and the sacred, on the one hand, and the luxury of silver platters and the refinement of artistic and literary representations, on the other. “, He continued. “How not to think, in this regard, of pizza, also born as a ‘poor’ dish in southern Italy, which has now conquered the world and is also served in starred restaurants.”
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