Painting found in Pompeii ruins depicts possible ancestor of modern pizza

By Giada Zampano

ROME (AA) - Archaeologists have discovered an ancient fresco painting in Pompeii, Italy that depicts what is believed to be “the ancestor” to modern pizza, experts said on Tuesday.

The 2,000-year-old painting – discovered on a half-crumbled wall during recent searches at the world-renowned archaeological site -- depicts a silver platter holding a round flatbread along with fresh and dried fruits such as pomegranates and dates and a goblet filled with red wine.

But this ancient version of the modern dish, experts noted, didn’t include classic ingredients like tomato and cheese, which were not available at the time, so it cannot be technically considered pizza.

“What was depicted on the wall of an ancient Pompeian house could be a distant ancestor of the modern dish,” said archeologists at the archaeological park in a statement.

Following a Greek tradition dating to the 3rd to 1st centuries BC, the fresco is believed to refer to “hospitable gifts” offered to guests.

The Roman city of Pompeii was buried in ashes after a volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Since then, it has continued to reveal treasures that archaeologists are recovering.

Archaeologists from the site said it is possible to suppose that the fresco depicted a flat focaccia that supported various fruits, which can be identified as pomegranates and maybe a date, with spices and probably a type of pesto, as indicated by yellow and ochre dots.

The Director General of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, noted that the fresco shows the contrast between “a frugal and simple meal, which refers to a sphere between the bucolic and the sacred...and the luxury of silver trays and the refinement of artistic and literary representations.”

“How can we fail to think, in this regard, of pizza, also born as a ‘poor’ dish in southern Italy, which has now conquered the world and is also served in Michelin-starred restaurants?” he added.

The fresco was found in the atrium of the house in Insula 10, Regio IX, which is now being excavated. The house was connected to a bakery, partly explored between 1888 and 1891. Researchers reopened investigations last January.

“Pompeii never ceases to amaze; it is a chest that always reveals new treasures,” said Italy’s Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.

“Beyond the matter that researchers talk about, the global value of this site, which we are dedicating our attention to, needs to be underlined.”