Newsweek: Ancient pizza found in Pompeii?
UC Classics professor says wealthy city residents enjoyed gourmet fare
Newsweek turned to a University of Cincinnati expert to explain the foods that ancient Romans in Pompeii enjoyed after a fresco depicting what looks like a pizza was discovered in the ruins of a bakery.
The painting depicts a silver tray of delicacies, including one that resembles a pizza but is more likely a flatbread called a focaccia. The tray also includes wine, dried fruit, a pomegranate and fresh-cut flowers.
Associate Professor of Classics Steven Ellis has been studying the diet of ancient Romans in Pompeii as part of his archaeological research into the city.
“The poor rarely ate meat and expensive, salted fish imported from what is now Spain, but the cuisine of the rich was exquisite,” Ellis told Heritage Daily.
He analyzed the chemical composition of sediments from dishes found in a rich villa in the center of Pompeii. He identified exotic shellfish, sea urchins and spices produced as far away as Indonesia in the kitchen.
“We also found a giraffe leg professionally cut by a butcher,” he said.
Featured image at top: A fresco found in Pompeii depicts a tray of food. Photo/Archaeological Park of Pompeii
Related Stories
From hobbyist photographer to professional educator
October 9, 2026
DAAP alum and photographer HATSUE studied communication design after a pivot in high school from a track toward veterinary school. Today, they teach photography at 1001 Colors white working as an artist and curator in Cincinnati.
UC researcher to launch national study with $2.5 million NIH grant
October 9, 2026
A University of Cincinnati researcher has received a $2.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to conduct research during the next five years. Natalie Kreitzer, MD, a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine physician-researcher, received an R01 independent research grant from the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The funding will support a test program for caregivers of patients with traumatic brain injury, as reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier.
Simple ways to find a deeper sense of happiness and well being
October 8, 2026
UC assistant professor Suzie White, featured in an AARP story on practical ways to live a happier, healthier life, shared research-backed strategies for increasing well-being through gratitude and service to others. White teaches Happiness in Action, a course that helps students apply the science of happiness in everyday life.