What Archaeological Evidence Is There for Work and Business in Pompeii?
What Archaeological Evidence is there for work and Business in Pompeii?
Like many towns in the Roman Empire, there were many jobs in Pompeii, and due to the fact that very few people had kitchens, many people owned restaurants, bars and various other “food shops”.
As well as food shops other popular businesses included Fishmongers, Merchants, Weapon Smiths, Farmers and many more, most of the workers were however slaves.
Fishing:
Due to the fact that Pompeii was so close to the sea, a common job for the residents was fishing, and because almost everyone went out for food almost every day, no matter if the fishermen sold the fish to restaurants or directly on the street, they could still make a good profit. Fishing was an even bigger profession in Herculaneum; in fact it is thought it was the biggest profession there. Various pieces of fishing equipment have been found in both Herculaneum and Pompeii; items such as fishing nets, hooks, sinkers and fish skeletons have been uncovered throughout both of the cities. In Herculaneum, a boat shed has been uncovered, and they contained many bodies of people who had taken cover from the lahar.
Farming:
Farmers were often successful for the same reasons as Fishermen; bread was probably the most common food in Pompeii due to high availability and low cost. Pompeii and Herculaneum were both very good areas for farming due to the rich minerals from the mountain. More than 30 bakeries have been found in Pompeii showing it was a common profession.
Shopkeepers, Barkeeps and Restaurant owners:
In Pompeii you could usually find several bars and/or restaurants just with in one block, and this meant there was some competition between them, it was still very good business though because of the high concentration of customers. The layout of any bar or restaurant was very much similar to the next, they would usually have a counter, with holes in it filled with hot food.
The Forum:
The forum of Pompeii was located at a
Like many towns in the Roman Empire, there were many jobs in Pompeii, and due to the fact that very few people had kitchens, many people owned restaurants, bars and various other “food shops”.
As well as food shops other popular businesses included Fishmongers, Merchants, Weapon Smiths, Farmers and many more, most of the workers were however slaves.
Fishing:
Due to the fact that Pompeii was so close to the sea, a common job for the residents was fishing, and because almost everyone went out for food almost every day, no matter if the fishermen sold the fish to restaurants or directly on the street, they could still make a good profit. Fishing was an even bigger profession in Herculaneum; in fact it is thought it was the biggest profession there. Various pieces of fishing equipment have been found in both Herculaneum and Pompeii; items such as fishing nets, hooks, sinkers and fish skeletons have been uncovered throughout both of the cities. In Herculaneum, a boat shed has been uncovered, and they contained many bodies of people who had taken cover from the lahar.
Farming:
Farmers were often successful for the same reasons as Fishermen; bread was probably the most common food in Pompeii due to high availability and low cost. Pompeii and Herculaneum were both very good areas for farming due to the rich minerals from the mountain. More than 30 bakeries have been found in Pompeii showing it was a common profession.
Shopkeepers, Barkeeps and Restaurant owners:
In Pompeii you could usually find several bars and/or restaurants just with in one block, and this meant there was some competition between them, it was still very good business though because of the high concentration of customers. The layout of any bar or restaurant was very much similar to the next, they would usually have a counter, with holes in it filled with hot food.
The Forum:
The forum of Pompeii was located at a