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

wares. 175 Dining areas were also possible storage locations. 176 Several other spaces, including
workrooms or bedrooms, contain some cooking, serving or storage vessels. 177 In small houses,
the main node (a court or atrium), the cooking area and dining area are usually sufficiently close
such that the retrieval of vessels and utensils for cooking is not difficult. The kitchen itself is an
important place of storage in about one-third of the cases.
Casa media Most have multiple places for the storage of food and cooking and dining
apparatus. Storage areas fall into three categories: the kitchen itself, the atrium, or a separate
space. Evidence within the kitchen area usually consists of pots and pans and storage amphorae
found in situ on or near the stove of six houses. 178 As these articles appear to have been in use or
ready for use at the time of the eruption, it is not possible to be sure that they were regularly kept
in the cooking area when it was not in operation. In all six, cabinets, chests or storerooms
elsewhere also contained substantial collections of cooking and serving wares, and it seems likely
that when not in use these items were not left in the kitchen, but removed for storage elsewhere.
In six houses, the remains of wooden cupboards, cabinets and chests are found
associated with cooking and serving wares in the atrium. 179 In three other houses, vessels are
found stacked in one corner of the atrium, sometimes underneath a stairway to the upper
floor. 180 Two cupboards and a chest were set against the wall under a staircase in peristyle (9) of
I.10.11. Other storerooms (closets with shelving, or bedrooms or sitting rooms stuffed with
wares), are located off an atrium or back garden. 181 From that position, storage, cooking,
serving, eating and especially drinking vessels were easily accessible to kitchens and dining
areas.
175 A cupboard at the south edge of atrium (d) in I.7.2-3 contained a ceramic vase with eggshells and glass
bottles; a chest containing a fine silver serving set was found in the entranceway of I.8.14; it was likely
carried from the atrium but then abandoned in flight; numerous bronze, ceramic and glass vessels were
found amongst traces of wooden containers in court (2) of I.9.8.
176 A cupboard niche (perhaps for table wares) was cut in the east end of dining area I.7.2-3 (c) and several
serving wares and drinking vessels were located in dining room I.9.8 (9).
177 In I.7.2-3, rooms (h) and (i) around the locus of cooking in court (g) and a balcony overhanging the court
contained cookwares; the latter had a storage nook in the west wall. In I.8.14, numerous amphorae were
found in the well decorated cubiculum (9), and room (12) had holes for shelving and was probably a
permanent storeroom, close by kitchen (11). Amphorae and other vessels associated with food were found
in rooms (3, 4, 5) of I.9.8.
178 I.6.4 (n), I.7.7 (i), I.9.13-14 (b), and I.10.7 (11) have substantial assemblages; I.6.15 (i) and I.10.10-11 (16)
contained a hand mill and a few pots, respectively.
179 I.6.4, I.6.11, I.7.7, I.9.1-2, I.9.13-14, I.10.7.
180 I.8.1-3, where storage vessels lie under the stair in the northeast corner of the atrium; I.8.8-9, where
amphorae occupy the northeast corner of the atriumm; I.9.12, where amphorae are concentrated in the
northwest corner. Lunch counters or diners are associated with all three of these houses -- their atria appear
to have been used for the easily accessible and rapidly replaceable storage that a commercial eating
establishment needed.
181 I.6.15 (g) has shelving; I.7.7 has a closet off the NE corner of garden (m), plus other rooms (g, o, p) used
for storage; Rooms I.8.4-6 (9-11) off the peristyle garden were used for storage; I.8.17+11 (19) has a nook
where a water heater was stored; I.9.1-2 (15), underneath the kitchen, was probably used for storage; I.9.3-4
(3), I.9.5-7 (9), I.9.13-14 (h, l) and I.10.8 (8, 12) were ostensibly bedrooms converted to storerooms.
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