Prices in Ancient Pompeii: Bread, Wine, Rent, and Wages in Asses
A Snapshot of Daily Economics in 79 CE
Pompeii's preservation gives us rare granular price data—mostly from graffiti, wax tablets, and archaeological context. Prices are in asses (bronze/copper coins); 4 asses = 1 sestertius; 100 sestertii = 1 denarius (silver). A legionary earned ~225 denarii/year (= 90,000 asses).
Food & Drink
| Item | Price (asses) | ≈ Denarii | Modern Context |
|---|
| Loaf of bread (1 lb) | 1–2 | 0.01–0.02 | Staple; subsidized in Rome, market price in Pompeii |
| Meat (1 lb, pork/beef) | 2–4 | 0.02–0.04 | Luxury for most; festivals only |
| Wine (1 sextarius ≈ 0.5 L) | 4–8 | 0.04–0.08 | Local; fine Falernian cost 10× more |
| Restaurant meal (thermopolium) | 10–20 | 0.1–0.2 | Stew, bread, wine—worker's lunch |
| Olive oil (1 sextarius) | 8–12 | 0.08–0.12 | Essential for cooking, lamps, bathing |
| Fish sauce (garum, 1 sextarius) | 6–16 | 0.06–0.16 | Ubiquitous condiment; premium "garum sociorum" cost more |
Clothing
| Item | Price (asses) | ≈ Denarii | Notes |
|---|
| Simple tunic (wool/linen) | 20–40 | 0.2–0.4 | Basic garment |
| Pair of leather shoes | 40–80 | 0.4–0.8 | Repaired repeatedly |
| Cloak (paenula/sagum) | 100–200 | 1–2 | Wool, weatherproof |
| Fine toga (elite) | 1,000+ | 10+ | Status symbol, not daily wear |
Housing (Annual Rent)
| Type | Price (asses) | ≈ Denarii | Notes |
|---|
| Small apartment (insula room) | 1,200–2,400 | 12–24 | No kitchen, shared latrine |
| Large house (domus) | 4,000–8,000 | 40–80 | Atrium, garden, shops rented out |
Services & Wages (Daily)
| Service / Wage | Price (asses) | ≈ Denarii |
|---|
| Haircut | 1–2 | 0.01–0.02 |
| Public bath entry | 2–4 | 0.02–0.04 |
| Doctor visit | 10–20 | 0.1–0.2 |
| Lawyer consultation | 20–40 | 0.2–0.4 |
| Day laborer wage | 1–2 | 0.01–0.02 |
| Skilled craftsman wage | 2–4 | 0.02–0.04 |
| Doctor daily fee | 10–20 | 0.1–0.2 |
| Lawyer daily fee | 20–40 | 0.2–0.4 |
What This Tells Us
- A day laborer needed ~2 days' pay for a pair of shoes; ~3 years' pay for a domus rental.
- Food was relatively cheap; housing and textiles consumed most surplus.
- Professionals (doctors, lawyers) earned 10–20× laborers—inequality was steep.
- Many Pompeiians lived in insulae (apartment blocks) with ground-floor shops (tabernae) generating income.
Caveats
- Prices fluctuated with harvests, trade disruptions, festivals.
- Data skewed toward commercial/urban activity; rural prices differed.
- "As" values debased over centuries; these are 1st-century CE figures.
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