Thermopolium di Asellina

The Thermopolium di Asellina (Italian: Termopolio di Asellina) is a Roman thermopolium — a commercial establishment where hot food and drinks were sold and served — located at Regio IX, Insula 11, civic number 2 of the archaeological site of Pompeii, Italy. It opens directly onto Via dell'Abbondanza, one of the city's principal thoroughfares. The establishment takes its name from Asellina, a woman whose name, together with those of her companions Aegle, Maria and Zmyrina, appears in painted inscriptions on the façade; these women are understood to have served customers in the premises. The thermopolium is a masonry serving counter faced in red plaster, its top covered with marble slabs and set with four terracotta jars (dolia) sunk into the counter for holding food and drink. At one end of the counter a masonry oven incorporates a bronze boiler with a lid. Along the interior walls are grooves where shelves were once fitted, and the masonry base of a wooden staircase to an upper floor is still visible. Twenty-two wine amphorae were found at the rear of the room and remain visible among the lapilli. The site was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD and was brought to light during excavations in 1911, explored through 1912. At the time of excavation almost the entire assemblage of tableware was recovered — plates, glasses, jugs and cups in terracotta, bronze and glass — and it was decided to leave most of the finds in place, with the exception of some amphorae. Today the thermopolium is part of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, an institute of the Italian Ministry of Culture with special autonomy, and is presented to visitors as one of the site's best-preserved examples of a Roman street-food counter.

The Thermopolium di Asellina is a Roman thermopolium — a commercial establishment where hot food and drinks were served, kept in large jars set into a masonry serving counter. It is located at Regio IX, Insula 11, civic number 2 of the archaeological site of Pompeii, opening directly onto Via dell'Abbondanza. The establishment takes its name from Asellina, a woman who, together with her companions Aegle, Maria and Zmyrina, served in the premises and whose names are cited in painted inscriptions on the façade. The building was buried during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. It was brought to light in 1911 and explored until 1912. At the time of excavation almost the entire assemblage of furnishings was found: plates, glasses, jugs and cups in terracotta, bronze and glass, in which the dishes sold were served. It was decided to leave the finds in place, with the exception of some amphorae that were moved. Twenty-two wine amphorae were found at the rear of the room and are still visible among the lapilli. The counter is plastered in red; its top is covered with marble slabs and four jars are set into it. At the end of the counter, a masonry oven incorporates a bronze boiler with a lid. The thermopolium has an L-shaped counter that closes off almost the whole of the entrance, except for a small gap for access to the interior. Along the interior walls are grooves where shelves were fitted, and the masonry base of a wooden staircase to the upper floor is visible; it is likely that the thermopolium had rooms where clients met with prostitutes. Outside, along the walls facing the street, there are electoral inscriptions, some lost over the years, which are signed by two women named Asellina — the owners from whom the inn takes its name — and also bear the signatures of foreign names such as Aegle, Maria and Zmyrina, who worked both as waitresses and as prostitutes. Among the finds were also a funnel and a bronze lamp of phallic shape. Today the thermopolium is part of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, an institute of the Italian Ministry of Culture with special autonomy, which exercises its competences in the protection, conservation and public enjoyment of the site. The Park's territorial competence also extends to other cultural institutes and places, including the Antiquarium of Boscoreale, the Castle of Lettere, the archaeological park of Longola at Poggiomarino, the former Bourbon Royal Powder Mill at Scafati, the Reggia del Quisisana at Castellammare di Stabia, the archaeological excavations of Oplontis at Torre Annunziata, the excavations of Stabiae at Castellammare di Stabia, and the archaeological site of Villa Regina at Boscoreale. The Park is directed by Director General Gabriel Zuchtriegel, with a Board of Directors, a Scientific Committee and a Board of Auditors. The Soprintendenza (today the Pompeii Archaeological Park) was established by Law 456 of 6 August 1981, in the aftermath of the 1981 earthquake.

• 1981

  Law 456 of 6 August 1981 establishes the Soprintendenza archeologica di Pompei, predecessor of today's Pompeii Archaeological Park.

• 1911

  Brought to light during excavations; explored until 1912.

• Buried by the eruption of Vesuvius.

A preserved Roman street-food counter presented as part of the Pompeii Archaeological Park's cultural heritage offer.

• Hot food and drinks served from sunken dolia

• Wine (22 amphorae found at the rear of the room)

• Terracotta, bronze and glass tableware (plates, glasses, jugs, cups)

• Bronze boiler with lid set in a masonry oven

• Bronze phallic-shaped lamp

1. 1Thermopolium di Asellina - Pompeii Sitespompeiisites.org
2. 2Chi siamo - Pompeii Sitespompeiisites.org
3. 3Termopolio di Asellina - Wikipedia (it)it.wikipedia.org
4. 4Thermopolium di Asellina - Wikidatawikidata.org