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Food Remains from Pompeii Reveal Diet of Enslaved Workers

Archaeologists working at Pompeii have uncovered well-preserved food remains that offer rare insight into the daily diet of enslaved people living in a large Roman villa before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
The discovery was made in the slave quarters of the Civita Giuliana villa, where excavations beneath a modern roadway revealed baskets of fruit and storage vessels filled with legumes. The finds include pears, apples or sorbs, as well as amphorae containing fava beans, all recovered from upper-level rooms within the quarters.
According to the archaeological analysis, these foods supplemented a largely grain-based diet and provided essential nutrients to the men, women, and children housed in small living spaces measuring about 16 square metres, each accommodating several beds. The villa’s enslaved workforce, estimated at around 50 individuals, would have required vast quantities of grain annually, making dietary supplements an important part of sustaining health and labour capacity.
Researchers note that the nutritional quality of the food identified in the slave quarters appears higher than that documented for some free inhabitants of Pompeii. This contrast suggests that maintaining the health of enslaved workers was considered economically important, even in a system that treated people as property.
The location of the food on an upper floor may reflect practical and administrative considerations. Storing supplies above ground would have reduced damage from rodents, which were present in lower rooms, and may also have allowed for controlled distribution based on work roles or household hierarchy.
The findings contribute to a growing body of research reshaping understanding of food consumption in the Roman world, highlighting the complexity of social conditions and daily life within ancient systems of inequality.

Published on: 22-12-2025

Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie

Source: Fox News