While examining the ruins of an ancient house in Pompeii, Italy, a group of archaeologists came across something completely curious: a fresco depicting an ancient Roman “pizza”. A bakery also belonged to the building where the artifact was found.

Pompeii was an ancient Roman city that was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, but volcanic action also left the city in ruins. Since then, researchers and archaeologists have flocked to the region to learn more about Roman life. You can read more about this story in the next paragraphs!

Fresco in the form of food

(Source: Archaeological Park of Pompeii)

Archaeologists report that the fresco discovered in Pompeii appears to depict a traditional food in the region pizza in particular. On the right side of the artifact, fruits such as pomegranates and dates can be seen covering a slab. On the left, the researchers noticed a piece of bread that looks very similar to what we know today as a pizza.

The image resembles a flatbread, similar to a modern pizza, but with some key differences. As far as we know, the ancient Romans living in Pompeii did not have the opportunity to enjoy the delicious recipe of our time since tomatoes and mozzarella cheese were not part of their diet.

The tomato originally comes from America and was only brought to Europe in the course of colonization from the 15th century. Instead of the sauce served on pizza today, the ancient Romans probably ate their flatbreads with a pestolike sauce made from basil — a traditional Asian recipe but one that was transported to mainland Europe via ancient spice trade routes.

dig Pompeii

(Source: GettyImages)

In an official statement, the Pompeii Archaeological Park explained that frescoes depicting still life depictions, such as the rudimentary version of a pizza, are part of a tradition called Xenia. They represented a kind of “heart and home” practice and encouraged a sense of hospitality in anyone who could get a glimpse of them.

This type of art emerged during the Hellenistic period of Ancient Greece. Therefore, Xenia is widespread throughout the Mediterranean. In cities near Mount Vesuvius alone, archaeologists have found more than 300 such frescoes. In addition, archaeologists believe that such works of art can provide important information about the socioeconomic status of the ancient house’s occupants.

Crumpled bread, much like modern pizza, was a very simple dish. Soon, lowerclass people developed the habit of eating flatbread as a staple of their diet. But that doesn’t mean the higher classes didn’t eat these foods — making flatbread an ingredient transcending everything else.

This can be seen from the very existence of the fresco, which suggests that the home’s owners had enough money to pay for an artist’s depiction of their meals.

Montreal’s outdoor facilities are gradually reopening after being canceled Thursday afternoon and Friday morning due to poor air quality in the metropolis, the city says as the situation has improved slightly.

• Also read: Poor air quality: The SPVM takes action for its police officers

• Also read: Poor air quality: “We don’t help with life either!”

• Also read: Air Quality: Players Openly Criticize Major League Baseball

As of Friday afternoon, however, the air quality index was still above 120, posing a risk to vulnerable people.

Air Quality – Gradual resumption of outdoor activities
Check our website for opening hours and stay tuned for public health advice.https://t.co/c11juLsWqj

— City of Montreal (@MTL_Ville) June 30, 2023

However, activities are still suspended in Laval.

“We’re already exposed to chronic pollution, and when there are spikes like this, it amplifies the effect of that chronic pollution,” explains Dr. Johanne Elsener in an interview with LCN, stating that pollution is associated with more than 4000 premature deaths a year in the province.

The timetables of the various sports facilities and cultural events in the city of Montreal can be consulted on the website.

Poor air quality also impacted traffic at several Montreal traders.

“It’s sure that there are a little fewer people, but the temperature doesn’t help either,” says Head with hats owner Olivier Dostaler. It’s not good for your health, but that’s life.”

However, they face their problems patiently and have hope for the future.

“Everything will go after that [cet épisode de smog]» says the owner of the candy box La petite madame, Ida Sujjinanont.

Watch the full explanation in the video above.

If May was the month that marked the beginning of the end of the great drought of 2008 in Catalonia, the month of June 2023 was the shock that broke the trend of the longest rainy spell of the century. They believe the government is saving the most catastrophic scenario for this summer, which they were warned about in March, when reserves were at 25% and a state of emergency was declared, the pre-emergency phase during which domestic water cuts will be made. The intense and repeated rains that fell in the headwaters of the rivers this June have increased the water reserves of the Ter Llobregat system by 6% at a time when they tend to decrease. This eliminates the emergency scenario that the government wanted to announce at the end of the summer, which will now be postponed by at least “weeks or months” depending on consumption and precipitation this summer, government sources warn.

The government’s worst fears were allayed, they admit from the Catalan Water Authority (ACA), the Generalitat’s highest water management body, when it was least expected: in June, a generally dry month that saw accumulated reserves in February , March and April (that extremely dry year) they start to fall. So the logic suggested that the extreme lack of rain would continue and a very compromised situation would be reached already by the beginning of summer. But it was not like that.

The Sau reservoir, on March 15th and June 30th. Gianluca Battista / Albert Garcia

ACA sources insist that the rains that fell in June, which have accumulated up to 100 liters per square meter in a few hours, do not eliminate the worst drought Catalonia has experienced since records (1905), but without Doubts You move away from the most pessimistic scenarios. They therefore assume that a “relatively normal” summer is guaranteed, although they warn that this is also dependent on water consumption not skyrocketing. Overall, the seasonal forecasts from the Catalan weather service (Meteocat) predict a quarter with above-average precipitation for July, August and September.

Rosa Pruna, rancher and president of the Agrarian Association of Young Farmers (Asaja), admits recent rains have been “good” for fruit trees, which have been the biggest losers from the drought. “On the other hand, we have never seen rains like this in a month of June and this water is affecting the grain harvest. Because it didn’t rain, the wheat grew very little and now that it has to be collected, it gets wet and can be covered with fungus,” Pruna laments. The farmer claims that rainfall is uneven across Catalonia and that there are areas “like the Penedès” where the lack of water is affecting the vineyards.

Pere Roqué is a farmer and president of Asaja in Lleida: “We are very hopeful given the recent rains. In April it was decided to close the canals for irrigation and since then the fruit trees have only been watered twice. Next week we have the third. If the rising water in the swamp allows us to irrigate five or six more, we will not only have saved the trees but also part of the crops. We’re going to lose a lot less money than we thought.” Hours after those words were announced, the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation this Thursday announced an increase in the amount of water used for irrigation by 50 cubic hectometres for the Urgell Canal and an additional 15 cubic hectometres for utilities at.

What affects most is what happens closer. Subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

subscribe toVegetation in the Sau reservoir, this Friday: an image in green that has not been seen in this reservoir in Catalonia for weeks.Albert Garcia

At the beginning of May, the farmers who feed from the Urgell Canal declared the crop lost and assured that 164 million euros would be lost. In addition, if the fruit trees were not supplied with water and the trees died, the losses from the Urgell Canal trees alone amounted to 764 million. The President of the Irrigation Community of the Canals d’Urgell, Amadeu Ros, now assures that the forecasts will not come true. “The rain saved the trees. “It’s possible that we can save a good part of the harvest,” he says.

If the weather forecasts for the next quarter are met and there is no delay in consumption, the end of summer could be reached with backwater levels equal to or greater than now (30%). A huge respite considering government forecasts in March were that it could be below 17%, with a state of emergency being declared and the water supply cut off.

It is expected that next Tuesday, after the weekly government meeting, government spokeswoman Patricia Plaja and ACA director Samuel Reyes will report on the data update. However, no change is expected in the drought declaration phase, although reserves are currently 5% above the 25% limit, marking the alert phase; Nor does it mean that consumption restrictions will be relaxed (e.g. lifting the total ban on watering gardens or reducing the watering limit from 40% to 25%). This decision will only be made when the volumes have clearly stabilized, they explain from the Court of Auditors. And they add that the water shortage in the community can only be considered overcome once 60% of reserves are reached, a scenario that is still a long way off. Nor is it expected that the El Prat desalination plant, which has been in full operation for a year, will reduce its production rate.

In addition, the last rains in June were much more effective than those that fell in May. The surroundings of reservoirs and rivers are green again with the wet terrain. This is thanks to the fact that the May rains were able to wet the thirsty land and the water falling from the sky is now reaching the rivers more easily, which have significantly increased their flow rate, sending more water to the main reservoirs. The flow of the Ter, which feeds the Sau and Susqueda reservoirs (the two with the largest capacity), has at times increased to 150 cubic meters per second during some rainy episodes. The numbers, which have been falling for weeks regardless of whether it rains or not, have tripled in some areas compared to early May. This means that as the water falls, the flow rate will increase much more easily. The flow of the Llobregat, which supplies the Baells reservoir, has also increased.

The recovery of the last few weeks is clearly visible in the Sau reservoir. The water level of the reservoir, which has been diverted to neighboring Susqueda to prevent it from rotting, has dropped to 31.4% from 6% in early May. It already exceeds even Susqueda’s share (29.5%). The ruins of the city, buried decades ago after the construction of the dam, are now covered with water and only the Romanesque church remains uncovered.

Compared to the peninsular hydrographic basins, the Catalan basin was one of the ones that benefited the most from the June storms. In May, the inland basin hydrographic system was the second largest with the least amount of backwater, just behind the Guadalquivir (23.6% today). The Catalan is now fourth (also ahead of Guadiana and Guadalete-Barbate). Although it is still well below the Spanish average (47%).

You can follow EL PAÍS Catalunya on Facebook and Twitteror sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter