Taberna

Taberna (Latin, plural tabernae ) called in ancient Rome was originally a shed, a barn, or a building built of planks, also transmit a shabby apartment, but mostly both shops and workshops, as well as bar-rooms and pubs.

Shops

The stores were located on the ground floor of apartment buildings with several floors and consisted of a room with a counter facing the street. It presented the Romans their full product range. Often these tabernae been run as a family. Businesses with greater sales area there were only products of " upscale necessities " such as textiles. The opening times were, apart from an hour for lunch, all day on weekdays as holidays. To protect against burglary operators used wooden shutters and optionally additionally chains. The so-called Lintea ( canvas curtains) and doorposts were used for attachment of advertising. In addition to the central shopping streets and especially the arcades in the forum the shops were also distributed within the residential areas everywhere, making the shopping trips for the residents were kept very short.

Specifically, the known tabernae veteres, tabernae novae and tabernae septem on the Roman Forum, and the tabernae argentariae ( " stores of the moneychangers " ) on the backs of the Basilica Aemilia and Julia.

Restaurants

Besides the name taberna ( specifically: taberna vinaria wine bar ), there was in ancient Rome also other names for pubs Taberna, Caupona, Popina and Thermopolium were probably used interchangeably, the transitions were definitely flowing and a distinction solely on the structural findings is not possible.

The offer of Tabernae consisted of wine and snacks such as olives, corresponding to about the Spanish tapas. Popinae were rather local with vegetarian dishes, seasonal fruits, some meat dishes and sweets such as cakes. The size of the localities included in the rule, two rooms, a so-called tap room in which it was food and drinks sold over the counter, inter alia, to the walk-in customers and a back room with dining couches. The audience was advertised with flashy tavern signs or, more rarely with a dancer near the entrance. Many restaurants were seen as disguised brothels. The main operating times began in the evening and reached up late into the night. The majority of the visitors were men from the simple population, who sought companionship and entertainment there. Members of the upper classes avoided the restaurant because they were worried about their personal reputation on the one hand and on the other parties and " feasts " preferred their own kind in their own homes.

The rest houses and inns to the Roman imperial roads have also been referred to as tabernae, which in some cases was the origin of today's place names, such as Tafers and Tawern or Saverne ( Saverne ).