Archeologists say they’ve found an early Roman tavern in what is now France. One of the big clues: All the abandoned drinking bowls and animal bones lying around. What a dump!
Live Science reports on research at one particular site at Lattara. Researchers think it was one of the area’s first Roman taverns, circa 125 B.C. to 75 B.C., and it was apparently frequented by the kind of patrons who left their trash lying around the floor like this was some sort of Logan’s Roadhouse. Sextus’s Roadhouse?
The other room was likely a dining room, the researchers said. The archaeologists uncovered a large fireplace and a bench along three of the walls that would have accommodated Romans, who reclined when they ate, Luley said. Moreover, the researchers found different kinds of animal bones, such as wishbones and fish vertebra, which people simply threw on the floor. (At that time, people didn’t have the same level of cleanliness as some do now, Luley noted.)
The room also had “an overrepresentation of drinking bowls” for wine.
It all testifies to the ways the culture of the area changed after the Romans took over, shifting to more eating out:
The new findings suggest that some people under the Romans stopped preparing their own meals and began eating at communal places, such as taverns.“Rome had a big impact on southern France,” Luley told Live Science. “We don’t see taverns before the Romans arrive.”
No wonder everybody wanted to eat out if the Romans just threw their animal bones on the floor and left their drinking bowls lying around. Should you encounter an ancient Roman, do not invite him to dinner at your house.
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