The Inn, Restaurant and Tavern Business in Ancient Pompeii

Abstract

The number of public establishments in ancient Pompeii indicates that the inn, restaurant and tavern business was one of t..'l-J.e most extensive in the town. This thesis endeavors to. study each public inn and eating house in Pompeii, and to observe the general characteristics of ancient inns, restaurants and taverns as exemplified by the excavations of the city. The first chapter discusses the various types of ancient inns, restaurants and taverns, using the Pompeian establishments as specific examples. The general features of the inns and taverns are described and illustrated. Various aspects of tavern life are discussed in the second chapter. The epigraphical evidence yielded by the excavations at Pompeii provides vivid testimony to the life in the taverns of antiquity. This information, combined with the writings of the ancient authors, portrays much of the activity in the Pompeian inns and eating houses. In the third chapter, the rol·e of the public establishments in Pompeii's city life is discussed. Their locations and areas of concentration, as well as their commercial and social importance are considered. In the Appendix, each inn, restaurant and tavern that has been excavated and identified is described. A bibliography follows each description. Wherever possible, plans of various Pompeian establishments have been included throughout the paper.