KITCHENS AND DINING ROOMS AT POMPEII ... - Get a Free Blog

(Work)shops No securely identifiable formal dining areas were found in any
(work)shops (their lighting and decoration will therefore not be discussed below). 102 The
existence of cooking installations in several (work)shops, however, confirms that eating must
have taken place there (see above, p. 129). Fallen from the balcony of I.7.4 was a bronze oinochoe,
and the carbonized remains of figs, dates and almonds were recovered from glass containers
stored in the ground floor room, along with a ceramic cup and bowl. Other (work)shops also
contained tableware of ceramic, glass and bronze that strongly imply eating on the premises,
either on the ground floor or on an upper loft or balcony. 103 Unfortunately, the finds for many
(work)shops have not been published. Despite the uneven nature of the evidence, I believe that
occupants ate at home in the majority of (work)shops.
(Work)shop-houses Ten of eleven buildings contain at least one possible dining area;
three of these have two dining areas (the second appearing on an upper floor). 104 Relatively few
are securely identified. 105 Reception of guests for dinner does not seem to have been a primary
concern of the residents; dining areas are neither particularly large or well-accoutered. One well-
prepared dining area went out of use when the house was converted into a (work)shop-house. 106
Dining areas are generally small, averaging 16.8 m 2 . The preferred type is the dining room,
appearing seven times; there are two dining halls, three dinettes, and one outdoor dining area.
The degree to which a (work)shop-house has dining areas depends on what sort of
business is carried out on site. For instance, the outdoor masonry dining couches in court (2) of
I.7.16 for instance may have served as a corporate entertainment center for the artisans who
painted signs and electoral notices on the walls of Pompeii, a collegium scrittori murali. 107 The
two dining areas in I.6.8-9 ((d) on the ground floor and cenaculum {k} above it) may have served
102 Fiorelli (1873, 68) suggested that back room (b) in the fullonica I.4.7 was used for dining, but he cites no
supporting evidence. Room (a) in the officina lanifricaria I.4.26 also seems of suitable dimensions, but given
the similar function of both buildings, both rooms were probably large work areas.
103 I.4.18, I.4.19, I.6.3, I.6.10, I.10.5-6; I.4.23-24 may have contained a cache of carbonized olives (the original
excavation reference to this (work)shop is not precise).
104 Only I.8.12 (a stable) contains no room in which dining could conceivably have been done.
105 Three dining areas are securely identified, three have a probable identification, and seven have a
possible identification. See chapter two, p. 115 for the degrees of confidence ('secure', 'probable' and
'possible') in identifying dining areas.
106 I.6.7 (h) contains two couch niches and bipartite wall decoration, but was converted into a storage and
work area after A.D. 62, when a fullonica was installed on the premises.
107 Refer to the Gazetteer entry for the complete argument and evidence for a collegium at I.7.16.
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