Thermopolium: The Fast Food Restaurants of The Roman Empire

Before Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year 79 and ruined everything, Pompeii was a thriving roman city, full of all the latest cultural innovations and facilities. If you'd been there, you might have been surprised how many seemingly modern things it had to offer you. It even had fast food snack bars, known as Thermopolia. Over 80 Thermapolia have been found so far at the archaeological site of Pompeii, which is still being excavated to this day, even though it was discovered in 1748. The name Thermopolium translates into English as place that sells hot items. While the menu would have varied from one place to another, meals would usually be made by the vendor at home and then brought to the Thermopolium to be heated up and then sold to customers, usually at low prices.