Conclusion

As opposed to the more widely studied Roman literary texts, the texts and images found on the walls of cauponae reveal the culture of an often overlooked lower class. Soldiers, slaves, gladiators and craftsmen came to the taverns not only seeking food and lodging, but an opportunity to engage in other social activities. The walls of the cauponae bear witness to the experiences of the common people: their manner of eating and drinking, aspirations to public office, complaints of unrequited love or boasts of success have been preserved thus throughout the ages. These texts and images give us crucial insights into the lives of ordinary Romans, which, in the end, were not all that different from our own.