Archaeologists working at the Pompeii Archaeological Park near Naples uncovered a striking fresco that centers on a still life featuring food and drink. The discovery, believed to date back around two millennia, was found on a wall inside a corridor of a building that included an annex with an oven. The image presents a silver tray bearing a round loaf or flatbread, a glass of wine, dates, a cluster of pomegranates, and a fruit resembling a pineapple. Experts note that the bread resembles focaccia from the period and that the depiction would have included seasonings and herbal cheeses commonly enjoyed by ancient Romans.
Scholars have proposed that the composition takes inspiration from the Greek hospitality ritual known as xenia. In this light, the tray is interpreted as a gift exchange offered to guests, a practice rooted in Hellenistic traditions that valued generosity and ceremonial welcome. The painting thus reflects more than nourishment; it embodies social rituals, status, and the exchange of gifts that marked guest-host relationships in the ancient world.
Gabriel Zuchtrigel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, has highlighted the fresco as a visual dialogue between thrift and abundance. He explains that the image juxtaposes simple foods with the luxury of silver serving ware and the more elaborate possibilities of artistic and literary representation. This contrast invites viewers to consider how daily meals and ceremonial displays intersected in ancient society and what such scenes reveal about daily life in Pompeii before the eruption that preserved many details for modern study.
The question of pizza emerges naturally from this discovery. While the modern pizza is linked to Southern Italy and has become a global staple, some historians and culinary experts emphasize that the roots of flatbread in ancient Italian cooking involved simple grains, water, salt, and leavening agents that might have included beer. These early bread preparations could be filled with vegetables or fish, offering a primitive yet recognizable predecessor to pizza. The fresco thus provides a tangible link to the long continuum of flatbreads in Italian cuisine, illustrating how a humble dish could evolve into a worldwide icon over centuries.
Gino Sorbillo, a prominent Naples chef who runs one of the city’s oldest pizzerias, has commented on the interpretation that the fresco depicts a form of ancient flatbread akin to pizza. He notes that in Pompeii there were bread-based foods prepared in ways that resemble modern approaches to pizza, with variations in toppings and fillings depending on local ingredients and tastes. This perspective adds a culinary dimension to the scholarly discussion, suggesting that northern and southern Italian cooks shared a fascination with dough, heat, and flavor that transcended eras. Sorbillo’s reflections align with broader questions about how culinary innovations emerge from everyday life and from exchanges within households and communities.
Beyond the food itself, the fresco offers a window into the social world of Pompeii. The presence of a prepared meal, a wine glass, and a considered arrangement of fruits implies a scene of hospitality, courtesy, and perhaps a communal dining experience. Such images help historians understand how people of the time organized meals, what ingredients were valued, and how gift-giving practices interacted with domestic interiors. The discovery also encourages further exploration of architectural spaces—hallways, kitchens, and ovens—where daily routines and social rituals intersected, shaping the social fabric of a city preserved by volcanic ash.
As researchers continue to examine the fresco, they aim to reconstruct not only the culinary habits of ancient residents but also the broader cultural norms that governed consumption, display, and guest interactions. The intersection of food, furniture, and ritual decoration in Pompeii’s walls provides a unique source for discussing how ordinary meals could carry symbolic weight in a society that prized hospitality and artistic expression. The ongoing study of such depictions helps bridge gaps between archaeology, art history, and culinary history, offering a more integrated understanding of life in one of the ancient world’s most studied cities. This holistic approach allows scholars and visitors to appreciate how small details—bread, wine, fruit, and ceremonial trays—can illuminate large questions about culture, commerce, and human connection in antiquity. The discovery is thus a reminder that food serves not only sustenance but also storytelling, memory, and identity across generations and civilizations. Attributions: Pompeii Archaeological Park researchers and culinary historians continue to weigh the evidence and provide context for this remarkable find.