It lacks tomato and mozzarella but has the unmistakably circular shape of a pizza – just under 2,000 years before the modern version of the world’s favorite food was first baked in nearby Naples.
A primitive version of pizza has appeared in a still life fresco on the wall of an ancient Pompeian house. The artwork emerged in recent days as part of new excavations in insula 10 of Regio IX in Pompeii and may represent a distant ancestor of the modern dish, elevated to UNESCO World Heritage status in 2017 as part of the “traditional art of the Neapolitan pizzaiuolo.”
“Pompeii never ceases to amaze; it is a casket that always reveals new treasures”, Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano commented.
The flatbread is depicted next to a wine goblet resting on a silver tray, acting as a holder for various fruits, seasoned with spices or perhaps pesto, indicated by yellowish and ochre-colored dots – archaeologists at the Pompeii Archaeological Park explained.
Also present on the same tray are dried fruits and a garland of yellow strawberry trees, alongside dates and pomegranates. This kind of imagery, known in ancient times as xenia, took its cue from the “hospitable gifts” that were offered to guests according to a Greek tradition, dating back to the Hellenistic period (3rd-1st century BCE).
