Jan 06, 2014 03:32 PM EST By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

The eating habits practiced by residents of ancient Pompeii (before it was covered in lava and lost for over a thousand years) didn't follow the usual distinctions between the rich and the poor, The Atlantic reported. Exploring an under-researched port in the city, scientists from the University of Cincinnati found evidence of a relatively inexpensive restaurant offering one of the region's most exotic delicacies: Giraffe.

To find out what Pompeian's ate and which types of people ate what, researchers excavated the drains surrounding a stretch of restaurant and shops in Port Stabia. Among the wastes of one common eatery was the giraffe leg, believed "to be the only giraffe bone ever recorded from an archaeological excavation in Roman Italy," according to Steven Ellis, a classics professor at Cincinnati and one of the study's leaders. Because of its rarity, the bone "represents the height of exotic food," said Ellis. Because of its presence in a place at which virtually anyone could eat, it signifies "something of the richness, variety and range of a non-elite diet."

Skeptics might wonder how one giraffe bone could foretell an entire market for the exotic meat. Clearly, however, there is more evidence not given from the press release supporting its availability in common restaurants. That information was likely further explained when the authors presented their work at the at the joint annual meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) and American Philological Association (APA) in Chicago on Jan. 4.

Though not all restaurant goers may have been able to afford giraffe on a regular basis, their ability to order it any time counters historical perceptions of "flamingoes" for the rich and "gruel" for the poor, according to the release. Perhaps giraffe acted as something of a birthday treat for tightly budgeted families.

In their explorations, researchers found other examples of exotic food, such as sea urchins and imported fish from Spain, and a spread of more inexpensive dietary staples, such as grains, fruits, nuts, olives, lentils, local fish and chicken eggs.

Giraffes aren't native to Italy (nor of course are Spanish fish) so the findings also reveal a healthy trade network of exotic food during that period.

Making the researcher's work easier was the nature of Bombei, preserved rather well for a 2,000 year old city because of its unusual demise and the lack of air and moisture. To this day, It remains an extremely popular tourist destination. As a World Heritage Site, no one lives in the fallen city of Pompeii, but people do live in the neighboring town of Pompei (one "I") and thrive on the vibrant touring scene.

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