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You may imagine ancient Romans lounging on beds while being fed grapes, but archaeologists have revealed that they enjoyed spicy pork dishes and goose eggs among other delicacies.

Their varied diet was discovered after archaeologists picked through latrines, sewers, cesspits and rubbish dumps at Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were preserved by hot ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted and wiped out the cities in 79AD.

Much of what the residents left on their plates was disposed off in latrine holes, where experts discovered gnawed fish bones and goose eggs, which may have been delicacies for the elite.

Archaeologists got a new insight into the varied diets of Romans by picking through latrines, sewers, cesspits and rubbish dumps at Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were preserved by hot ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed life in the Roman cities in 79 AD. The discovered remains such as this scallop shell, which contains traces of rouge, hinting it may have been used as a make-up compact

Previous research in the cities revealed that poorer people feasted on exotic meats such as giraffe legs.

'We just have small glimpses of the environment, but some are quite curious,' Mark Robinson, a professor of environmental archaeology at Oxford University Museum of Natural History, told a conference in Rome.

Remains also reveal that much of what the inhabitants ate was local. 

Archaeologists noted that some types of mollusc shells found in the sewers of Herculaneum came from the ancient town's beach, but grain was probably imported from Egypt, while pepper likely came from India.

Food was often hurled down latrine holes in Roman cities. This image shows a latrine entry shaft into a sewer with calcium phosphate build-up on the side

Although no traces of flour were found, grain weevils apparently survived the milling process, ending up in a Herculaneum sewer that served a block of shops and home.

Pork dishes are popular in Italy and it seems that these recipes may have been inspired by those enjoyed by the Romans around 2,000 years ago.

Rubbish heaps dating from the 1st century BC and the early 1st century AD in the Pompeii neighborhood of Porta Stabia yielded an abundance of pig bones - a sure sign that pork was popular then, according to Michael MacKinnon from the University of Winnipeg.

Molluscs called telline were popular on ancient tables too and remain the main ingredient in a seafood sauce that is found on present-day Italian menus.

Archaeologists also found a scallop shell that held traces of rouge, indicating that the shell may have been used as a kind of make-up compact. 

Eggshells also indicate that lots of chicken eggs were consumed. 

Erica Rowan, an archaeologist at the University of Exeter who worked on the Herculaneum sewer, also reported finding two fragments of goose egg shell, which was possibly the remnants of a meal consumed by the elite. 

For the most part, it appears that both the rich and the not-so-rich Romans in these cities ate much the same food, especially fish. 

Indeed food was also an important part of Roman burial and religious ceremonies and Vesuvius' eruption carbonised some of this food for posterity.

Bite-sized, carbonised, cake-like breads, which Professor Robinson described as  'nibbles for the gods' - were also discovered at a disused kiln in Pompeii.

Fragments of votive cups were also unearthed, prompting archaeologists to view the nibbles as possible offerings to ancient Roman deities.

The city of Pompeii (pictured) is an invaluable resource to historians because so many tiny details of daily life, from food to objects in houses, were preserved by hot ash when Mount Vesuvius destroyed the city

Rubbish heaps dating from the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD in the Pompeii neighborhood of Porta Stabia yielded an abundance of pig bones - a sure sign that pork was popular then, according to Michael MacKinnon from the University of Winnipeg. A human tooth (pictured) was found in a Herculaneum sewer

...PREVIOUS STUDIES SHOW POOR ROMANS ATE EXOTIC MEAT, WHILE GLADIATORS WERE VEGETARIAN AND DRANK 'SPORTS DRINKS'

Archaeologists led by the University of Cincinnati revealed in January that lower class Romans living in Pompeii feasted on exotic meats and spicy seafood.

Their research disproved popular preconceptions that the rich dined on imported delicacies including flamingo, while the poor survived on gruel.

The researchers discovered a sea urchin and the butchered leg of a giraffe among less exotic foods like grain and eggs, in a poorer area of the ruined city.

In January, archaeologists disproved views that rich Romans dined on exported delicacies, while the poor survived on gruel, by revealing that all classes of Pompeians had a rich and varied diet. An inn with holes that held food and wine in Pompeii is pictured

Steven Ellis, an associate professor of classics at the University of Cincinnati, said: 'That the bone represents the height of exotic food is underscored by the fact that this is thought to be the only giraffe bone ever recorded from an archaeological excavation in Roman Italy.

'How part of the animal, butchered, came to be a kitchen scrap in a seemingly standard Pompeian restaurant not only speaks to long-distance trade in exotic and wild animals, but also something of the richness, variety and range of a non-elite diet.'

Deposits discovered also included imported spices from as far away as Indonesia, highlight the incredible reach of the Romans.

'The traditional vision of some mass of hapless lemmings – scrounging for whatever they can pinch from the side of a street, or huddled around a bowl of gruel – needs to be replaced by a higher fare and standard of living, at least for the urbanites in Pompeii,' Professor Ellis said.

And earlier this month, German researchers revealed that Roman Gladiators ate a strict vegetarian diet to accompany brutal training regimes.

Earlier this month, German researchers revealed that Roman Gladiators ate a strict diet to accompany brutal training regimes. Experts studied the collagen in bones of Roman gladiator corpses found in a 2nd century cemetery in modern Turkey (pictured)

Instead of eating a protein-rich diet like modern athletes, the fighters managed on a diet of grain washed down with a 'sports drink'.

Experts studied the collagen in bones of Roman gladiator corpses found in a 2nd century cemetery in modern Turkey to confirm theories of this vegetarian diet.

Using spectroscopy, researchers from the Department of Forensic Medicine at the MedUni Vienna studied stable isotope ratios, including levels of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur.

They also looked at the ratio of strontium to calcium in the bone mineral. Levels of strontium indicate the amount of vegetable matter consumed over a lifetime, and the higher the levels the more likely that the diet is devoid of meat.

The results revealed that meals consisted primarily of grain and meat-free meals. All individuals consumed plants including wheat and barley as staple food, while others ate beans.

The findings also suggested these meals were washed down with a vinegar and plant ash drink, to give them energy, as a form of ancient sports drink.

'Plant ashes were evidently consumed to fortify the body after physical exertion and to promote better bone healing,' said study leader Professor Fabian Kanz.

'Things were similar then to what we do today - we take magnesium and calcium, in the form of effervescent tablets, for example, following physical exertion.'

Instead of eating a protein-rich diet like modern athletes, the fighters (illustrated) managed on a diet of grain washed down with a 'sports drink' of vinegar and ash