Pompeii - December 30, 2011, Shops, Fullers and Bakers

Mill stones at a large bakery in Pompeii

There are lots of the little shops that have counters made out of inlaid marble shards. Most if not all of them have large terracotta jars set into them. See the Thermopolium of Lucretius  for more information on one of the best preserved ones. 

The bakeries have some pretty impressive looking millstones. You can tell where a wooden shaft could be inserted to attach to an animal or maybe some slaves? It all sounds rather gruesome and grueling work for man or beast.

There was one fullers  workshop that we found that was identified as such and was open. It was converted out of an older, and rather nice, house in the center of town. Perhaps the original owners had fallen on bad times and sold it? Or maybe they moved a little further out of the center of town? There wasn’t really a separation between commercial and non

Thermopolium in the "Theatre District"

commercial activities in the average Roman town. So unless they were moving to Herculaneum (which had more of a resort feel to it) or to a larger villa outside of the city walls, I have to think that the original owners fell on hard times or died out.

It was tagged the Fullonica di Stephanus and was rather an impressive ruin.One of the few in Pompeii that had much of the second story's masonry intact. This included a lovely row of columns on the second floor. 

Fullonica di Stephanus