The garden was usually a practical vegetable garden, but sometimes was more elaborate. Archaeologists can excavate the roots and tell what once grew there. Also there are many paintings of gardens. There were protocols about who sat where. Because of the uniqueness of the site, some strange and unusual things have been found.
Luxury goods are rare at archaeological sites, but an entire set of silver cups was found.
Often silver gets melted down to make other things, but the owner of this set threw it down a well, probably believing that he'd be able to come back for it later. Also, a whole set of bronze cooking pots was found. Finally, a water heating apparatus was found it s sort of like a samovar for making mulled wine. So because of the work at Pompeii, we know more about small town life than the daily life of Emperors.