Frescoes uncovered on an ancient Roman food stand (thermopolium) in Pompeii, bay of Naples, Italy. These frescoes depict two ducks which have been slaughtered in preparation for cooking (left) and a rooster (right). These paintings likely advertised the food on offer at this stand, as duck bone fragments have been found in the earthenware containers (dolia) here. Thermopolia served hot food and drinks, especially to citizens without their own kitchens, which included much of the working and middle-classes. Pompeii was a Roman town with a population of around 20,000 that was destroyed when the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE. Layers of ash have preserved the site, allowing archaeologists to glean much about life in the Roman Empire.