Hi everyone.
Well I am finally here in Pompeii. It's June/July so tourist numbers are high and so are the temperatures. Hot and humid with afternoon showers have been to order of the day. This is the start of my season with with the Pompeii Food and Drink Project and my chance to share with you some of what we do on an archaeological research team. You will get the chance to look at some of the interesting things I find while in the scavi and complete some research activities of your own.
Activity 1
Larariums are common in Pompeiian households and commercial properties, especially where that business is related to the serving of food such as bars and tabernae. What is the role or purpose of the Lararium?
It is interesting that Larariums can take different forms, inset into walls or as painted frescos.
Above is a Lararium painted on the wall of a shop we worked in today. It is of the fresco variety in a kitchen area of the building over the cooking platform. Why was it there specifically? What purpose did it serve? Other Larariums are in the same premises. Why so many?
