New conservation work in the Regio V district has revealed fresh details about life and trade inside one of Pompeii’s best-preserved street-food counters, the Thermopolium of the Rooster, a business frozen in time by the eruption of 79 A.D. Among the latest discoveries is an ancient Egyptian vessel unearthed during a combined safety, restoration, and excavation project carried out between 2020 and 2023 and documented in the excavation e-journal..
Imported vessel reused in the kitchen
At the center of the thermopolium’s kitchen, researchers documented a rare faience situla made of green-yellow glassy paste, produced in Alexandria, Egypt. The vessel is decorated with human figures, animals, and vegetal motifs in an Egyptian style.
Such objects normally appeared as luxury décor in elite gardens and ceremonial rooms, but here they had been reused as an ordinary kitchen container.
Conservation teams have begun residue analysis to determine what it once held. The imported situla highlights long-distance trade and shows how prized items could move from elite display to practical reuse in a modest business.
Service rooms and the upstairs apartment
Excavations launched in 2023 exposed the service rooms behind the counter and a small upper-floor apartment likely occupied by the managers. The ground floor held mortars, bronze pans, wine amphorae, and ceramic jars still in position.
A small latrine opened toward the Alley of the Balconies, and a section of the room was set aside for liquids and food storage.
Archaeologists also documented structural repairs made before the eruption, including wooden posts and even the reused shaft of a limestone column to support the ceiling. Doorways were narrowed and floors were patched in haste, evidence of damage from earlier earthquakes. Despite this, the space remained fully operational when the eruption began.
Above the service area were two compact rooms. One featured Fourth-Style wall paintings with illusionistic architectural designs and a yellow floor. A decorated wooden chest held glass perfume bottles and bone hairpins, adding detail to the private lives of the people who ran the shop.
How the eruption preserved the room
Layers of pumice and ash gradually filled the space, collapsing shelves and causing objects to slide toward the doorway. The upper floor later gave way as a single unit, sealing the contents below and preserving the layout of the kitchen almost exactly as it was left.
Long-term protection of the site
The project also stabilized masonry and frescoes exposed in earlier digs. Removable protective covers were installed to shield the rooms, and a new lighting system will highlight key details for future visitors.
Researchers say an ongoing laboratory study of the situla and other finds will refine understanding of food preparation, trade links, and daily life in a working-class Pompeian business where luxury, improvisation, and cultural exchange coexisted in one small back room.
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