Walking further down Via dell'Abbondanza in the direction of the Porta di Sarno Gate, we reach Pompeii's equivalent of a 'fast-food' restaurant, where warm meals could be bought and eaten on the spot.
Coins for a total weight of about 3 kg, equivalent in worth to about 680 sesterces, were found in one of the wall recesses. Given the large quantity of change (374 asses and 1,237 quadrantes, each worth one quarter of an as), these were probably the takings of a single day's business.
The shop is completed by a sacellum dedicated to Mercury and Dionysus and a small shrine for the tutelary deities of the household. The publican's own apartment extended to the rear of the shop and was reached through an independent entrance door which opened onto a narrow side street. A magnificent specimen of late 3rd-style decoration can be seen in the Triclinium.
Gallery 4
