This display recreates the setting of a dining table in a convivial context of ancient Herculaneum, offering a meaningful glimpse into the banquet culture of the 1st century AD, shortly before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The exhibited artifacts—ceramic tableware, glass and bronze objects, organic remains, and small sculptures—come from various areas of the city, such as kitchens, dining rooms, shops, storage spaces, and warehouses. Their selection helps illustrate the daily practices associated with dining: not only the act of eating, but also the symbolic, social, and ritual value that banquets held in Roman society.

The exhibition thus presents a coherent and nuanced image of the material culture related to dinner and domestic life, highlighting the table as a space of relationships, identity, and social representation.

On the right side of the display case, a selection of objects reconstructs the gestures and tools associated with drinking and serving. Cups, glasses, and bottles made of glass attest to the widespread use of refined materials even in everyday life. Among these stands out a dark green glass cup (1), in which carbonized almonds (2 – Prunus dulcis) are laid, offering direct evidence of the food consumed.

Next to it are finely crafted blown glass bottles, including a small one decorated with six raised masks of satyrs and maenads (3), evoking theatrical and Bacchic imagery. Completing the group of glass artifacts are a cylindrical-bodied bottle (4) from the city’s sacred area, a hemispherical cup (5), and two dippers (6), found together with other items in a workshop near the decumanus maximus, still packed and ready for market distribution.

Among the pouring tools are a bronze simpulum (7), with a shallow bowl and long handle adorned with a capital motif; a pierced strainer (8) featuring elegant ornamental designs such as rosettes, stylized leaves, and meanders; and a bronze patera (9), an object often associated with ritual cleansing, but also commonly used in the presence of guests for ceremonial pouring.

Particularly noteworthy is a bronze jug (9) with a slender form and ovoid body, whose handle is decorated at the top with a figure of a winged swan, its feathers finely engraved—an uncommon decoration typically reserved for high-quality bronze work in the Vesuvian area. The handle’s shaft is enriched with a knotted branch featuring crescent-shaped vegetal elements and ends in a sculpted head.

Another bronze jug (10) is distinguished by the detailed decoration of its handle, adorned with blooming acanthus scrolls and the head of a maenad, again referencing the Bacchic world. Jugs of similar form are attested in various provinces of the Empire, such as Baetica, and are likewise datable to the 1st century AD.

Following this is a large decorated terra sigillata goblet (11), found in the cesspit of Herculaneum. The ceramic body, hazel-beige in color with a glossy orange slip, features a roulette decoration of small diagonal lines along the rim. The lower part bears a repeated figurative scene: a cloaked man, fallen to the ground, defends himself from a lion’s attack, all framed by floral and egg-and-dart motifs.

Completing the narrative are several carbonized organic remains that directly evoke the dietary context: carob pods (12 – Ceratonia siliqua), olive pits (13 – Olea europaea)—placed in ceramic and bronze plates—and four eggshells (14) in excellent condition, offering tangible evidence of the foods once present on the tables of ancient Herculaneum.

On the left side of the display case, a dedicated section explores the art of drinking and serving within the convivial setting of Herculaneum, showcasing a selection of objects that combine function, formal elegance, and symbolic value.

The first glass (1), made of thin transparent glass with greenish reflections, is decorated on the outside with spiral motifs, bucrania, and garlands framed in oval medallions—a repertoire of clear classical origin, rich in ritual and celebratory references.

The second glass (2), distinguished by slight indentations along its walls, reflects the influence of refined silver models with concave sides—a widely standardized type spread throughout the Empire, documented both in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Alongside the glasses, four bronze jugs illustrate the variety of forms and the sophistication of Roman tableware.

The first jug (3), with a bulbous body and “ear-shaped” handle, is finely decorated with vegetal motifs, chased reliefs, and a stylized acanthus leaf—hallmarks of high-quality Vesuvian production.

The second jug (4), with a pear-shaped profile and continuous line, features a vertical handle adorned with two stylized ibis heads, a thumb rest in the shape of an uraeus (sacred serpent), and a youthful satyr’s mask sculpted with delicate and lively features.

The third jug (5), with a trilobed mouth, bears a ribbon-like handle decorated with a vine tendril that ends in a youthful figure with open arms and a silenus mask, rendered with a deeply expressive face, furrowed brow, and curled beard.

The fourth jug (6), also trilobed, is enriched with a stylized lion’s head protome and a child’s head. Both elements, applied to the handle, hold decorative and symbolic significance. The trilobed shape, also common in glass and ceramic vessels, was widely used for its elegant functionality.

Of particular note is a skyphos (7 – a drinking cup) in glazed ceramic, with a green exterior and yellow interior. The bowl is decorated with grape clusters and vine leaves arranged in two registers, separated by a grapevine. Attributed to a production center in Asia Minor—possibly Tarsus—this piece attests to the vast reach of commercial and cultural exchanges at the time.

A unique piece is a basket-shaped vessel (8) in bronze, inspired by the woven baskets used by fishermen. Dating from the 1st to 2nd century AD, it features a ribbon handle connected by curved arms and decorated with a double swan protome, rendered in elegant, stylized form. Likely used to serve fish or shellfish during banquets, it blends practical use with symbolic refinement.

Adding depth to the convivial narrative are carbonized organic remains, including pomegranate peels and seeds (9 – Punica granatum) and dates (10 – Phoenix dactylifera), prized foods that reflect refined tastes and trade links with the eastern Mediterranean, both presented in ceramic plates.

The section concludes with two small bronze statuettes. The first depicts a camel (11) laden with baskets containing carbonized dates, with the pulp still intact. The second represents a bull (12), an animal linked to the sacred and agricultural spheres of the banquet. Due to their shape and size, both figures may be interpreted as votive offerings or decorative elements tied to ritual practices in the domestic sphere.