Economy
Role of forum
- Forum in Pompeii
- Administrative,
- commercial
- religious centre
- a paved rectangular area,
- colonnades,
- statues,
- formal inscriptions
- public buildings
- temples,
- markets,
- a basilica (law courts and business transactions)
- Shrines associated with imperial cult
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Trade
- flourished due to natural resources and fertility
- nearby harbour gave access to Mediterranean and Greek regions
- Pompeiian exports includes; garum, wine, olive oil and pottery
- Herculaneum had limited trade \n \n \n
Commerce
- Pompeii was an agricultural market town;
- fresh produce sold in many locations (FORUM MACELLUM)
- THERMOPOLIA around the city sold produce
- THERMOPOLIUM where drinks and hot foods were served
- Sex industry also flourished; brothels held store-fronts for produce too \n
Industries
Wine
- principal source of income in Vesuvian area
- controlled by wealthy landowners
- Pompeian wine was renowned, or was exported beyond the region
- grapes were squeezed by a torcula, wooden machine that pressed down onto fruit
- Fertile land insured good quality crops
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Fullery
- The fullery of Stephanus was a private house in pompeii which was turned into a bleaching and dying establishment
- Biggest fullery was the building of Eumachia
- Tanks basins and troughs were used for this process with public areas in which people could donate their urine to the process
- Washing and dyeing of wool and manufacture of cloth was one of the most important industries
- Eighteen fullonicae scattered throughout Pompeii, four were large
- Identified by a number of interconnected basins/tanks with built-in steps for washing and rinsing.
- Urine by Camels (although human urine was easier to come by and therefore used more often) incorporated in the mixture to clean clothes when washing.
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Bakery
- Pompeians produced ten different types of bread, but poor flour quality meant the bread was very hard and aged quickly
- Mills were common in Pompeii; milled the grain into flour
Garum
- Fish sauce - main condiment of Roman cuisine
- Due to the foul smell of the manufacturing process, it is believed to have been made outside of the city walls
Shops
- Remains of shops recognised along main commercial thoroughfare in Pompeii → ran from forum to Sarnian gate.
- Prime location for painted political signs (link to politics)
- 200 public eating and drinking places
- Manufacturing industries: Workshops of carpenters, plumbers, wheelwrights, tanners, tinkers, ironmongers, goldsmiths and silversmiths, marble-workers, stonemasons, gem-cutters, and glass makers.
- Influential to politics in some way (mostly through buildings)
- Fast food snack bars (thermopolium) has a marble covered counter in which large dolia (earthware jars) for holding hot drinks and dishes were encased
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Service industries
- Prostitution was a business in Pompeii and Herculaneum where profits were taxed
- Tabernae located in the main commercial thoroughfare
- Bars and taverns in Herculaneum were mainly found opposite the palaestra
Brothels
- Moral values were set by men, so prostitution wasn’t stigmatised, so normal that sometimes taverns functioned as brothels.
- Mostly indicated that prostitutes were from lower class families
Fishing
- Garum famous fish sauce from Pompeii
- Fish sauce - main condiment of Roman cuisine
- Herculaneum was a seaside harbour fishing town
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Occupations
Concluded from graffiti, election notices, trade signs and archaeological evidence, an extensive list of occupations may be concluded;
Wine
- Grape and oil presses
- Wine markers and owners
Fullery
- Weavers
- dyers
- Spinners fullures,
- launders,
- felt makers
Bakery
- Wheat harvesters
- Bakers
- Millers
- farmers
Garum
- Fishermen
- Craftsmen
- Garum producers
Shops
- Shop keepers and owners
- market workers,
- shop workers,
- carpenters,
- plumbers,
- Wheelwrights,
- tanners,
- Tinkers,
- ironmongers,
- goldsmiths and silversmiths,
- marble-workers,
- stonemasons,
- gem-cutters,
- glass makers
Service industries
- Prostitutes
- bar and tavern owners and workers
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Prostituation
- Prostitutes
Others
- Actors and gladators
- Doctors and dentists
- Perfumers
- Bankers
- Skilled artisans such as
- wrought iron worker,
- jewlers,
- wood carvers,
- moisaicists
- sculptors
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