Heading down the publicum
Ruins of an ancient tavern excavated in France reveal Romans enjoyed a drink and some pub grub like the rest of us.
The recent discovery of a possible Roman tavern in the south of France could shed new light on daily life in the ancient empire.
Excavations at Lattara (modern Lattes in the Languedoc-Roussillon region), published in the journal Antiquity, have revealed a structure that could have been used to feed large numbers of people, built between 125 and 75 BC.
Located at a major intersection, the structure had a bakery, where fish and meat were prepared in addition to flatbread, and a dining hall with benches along its walls, where numerous
The Art Newspaper
March 16, 2016
© Benjamin P. Luley, Gaël Piquès and Antiquity
drinking vessels were excavated. Both rooms were connected to a shared courtyard. Although no sleeping quarters have so far been discovered, these may have been upstairs, or elsewhere nearby.