伊ポンペイの壁画に「ピザの祖先」？　でもチーズはなし

【ローマＡＦＰ＝時事】イタリア・ポンペイ遺跡で現代のピザに似た食べ物が描かれたフレスコ画が出土した。ただし、チーズやトマトのトッピングはなかった。研究者らが２７日、発表した。（写真は、ポンペイ遺跡で見つかった現代のピザの遠い祖先とみられる平たいパンの壁画。ポンペイ考古学公園提供）
　フレスコ画は約２０００年前のもので、最近の発掘調査で、半壊した壁の中央に描かれているのが見つかった。
　ザクロやデーツなどのフルーツと赤ワインが入った器と共に、丸い平べったいパンが銀色の皿の上に置かれている様子が描かれていた。
　ポンペイ遺跡の専門家は「古代のポンペイ市民の家の壁に描かれていたものは、（現代のピザの）遠い先祖かもしれない」としている。民家の一部にはパン工房があった。
　ポンペイは西暦７９年に噴火したベスビオス山からの大量の火山灰によって地中に埋もれたことで知られている。
　今回見つかったフレスコ画は、紀元前３～紀元前１世紀ごろに古代ギリシャで行われ、古代ローマにも広まった客人への「もてなし」を描いたものとみられる。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/06/28-17:11）

Even the ancient Romans liked their pizza.
Archaeologists in Pompeii said Tuesday they had found depicted on an ancient fresco the precursor to the modern-day pizza -- but without the cheese and tomatoes.
The 2,000-year-old painting -- discovered in the middle of a half-crumbled wall during recent digs at the sprawling archaeological site -- depicts a silver platter holding a round flatbread, alongside fresh and dried fruits such as pomegranates and dates and a goblet filled with red wine.
What was depicted on the wall of an ancient Pompeian house could be a distant ancestor of the modern dish, said experts at the archaeological park in a statement.
The devastating volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 buried the Roman city in thick ash, hiding from view its many treasures that archaeologists continue to slowly bring to light.
The fresco is believed to refer to the hospitable gifts offered to guests, following a Greek tradition dating to the 3rd to 1st centuries BC and described by imperial Roman-era writers including Virgil and Philostratus.
Pompeii's director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, said the newly uncovered 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 starred restaurants, Zuchtriegel added.
The new excavations revealed an atrium of a house that included an annex with a bakery, partially explored in the late 19th century.
In the working areas near the oven, the skeletons of three victims have been found in the past weeks, said experts at the park.
Archaeologists estimate that 15 to 20 percent of Pompeii's population died in the eruption, mostly from thermal shock as a giant cloud of gases and ash covered the city.