Roman Restaurants
(this is the second page; click here for the first page)
A thermopolium at Pompeii in southern Italy
There were thermopolia and tabernae all over the Roman Empire, from England to Syria and from Germany to North Africa. Just like in McDonalds or Subway today, the Roman fast-food places posted their menu in back of the counter. The bartenders and servers were often slaves or freedmen of the owner. Both men and women worked as servers, as they do today. The holes in the counter were for keeping soup, pickles, fish sauce, and other food in.
The menu of the same thermopolium
The Romans really only had this kind of fast-food restaurant. Richer people ate at home, or at each other's houses - they didn't have the idea of going out to a fancy meal the way we do. If rich people were traveling, they rented a private banquet room when they got to the inn, and the innkeeper cooked them a special meal and gave it to the rich people's slaves to serve.
Back to the first page about restaurants
Main Roman food page
Main Roman economy page
To find out more about the Roman economy, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
Eyewitness: Ancient Rome, by Simon James (2004). For kids.
Why did people want to punch Socrates?
Where did Egyptians bury your liver?
How old are the Rocky Mountains?
What does a half-timbered house look like?
How do you spin wool?
(a project)
Archaeology of the Roman Economy, by Kevin Greene (1991). An expert, but a good writer. Greene, like many archaeologists, comes down on the side of a market economy.
The Roman Empire: Economy, Society and Culture, by Peter Garnsey and Richard Saller (1987). Two experts, but their writing is easy enough for high schoolers. By Finley's students, and basically on Finley's side.
The Ancient Economy, by Moses Finley (1973, updated edition 1999). The book that first started this argument. Basically on the side of "consumer cities" and people farming their own food. The writing is, again, clear and simple.
Go on to
the medieval economy
Return to main Romans page
Return to main economy page
