I like to think there are innumerable things we can get from such a study, but I’ll aim at a short answer. For one, it helps us understand living conditions at the level of the shopfront and the types of foods being retailed. What we’re seeing from that is an extraordinary level of sophistication of the kinds of foods and richness and variety of the diet, with consumption of lots of imported foods. We’ve long known that Romans were bringing these foods in, but we’ve typically associated such consumption with the elite houses.

What this book does is show how those who are even picking up a simple meal in a humble bar in Pompeii are also able to access spices that come from the east, peppercorns and cumin and caraway. It’s shining a light on the richness and complexity of the urban diet beyond the elites. And we’re not just seeing it from one shop. Instead of having a rich and a poor [diet], there is a far greater texture across all of those spaces.

Because shops were so ubiquitous, this study helps us to look at the development of Roman cities at large. We can trace the rise and rise and rise of these types of spaces and see where it happens and when it happens. It’s giving us new understanding of the overall development of the Roman city, one that is underscored by the significantly high numbers of shops. There’s probably a few lessons for today, as well. We’re talking about an ancient Roman concept so successful that it has survived into the present.