Pompeii cupboard reveals daily life before the eruption
Archaeologists found cosmetics, coins and a child’s amulet in a cupboard that remained sealed for almost two thousand years.
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A wooden cupboard containing personal belongings from the period before the eruption of Vesuvius has been uncovered in Pompeii. The discovery gives archaeologists a rare glimpse into the daily lives of residents who had to flee in AD 79.
According to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, the cupboard stood in a house on the Via dell’Abbondanza, one of the main streets of ancient Pompeii. The Archaeological Park of Pompeii says the piece of furniture remained sealed after the city was covered by the eruption of Vesuvius.
The cupboard contained tweezers, a small glass bottle for perfume or ointment, an incense burner, cooking utensils and a bronze lamp. According to the park, 38 bronze coins and a wooden box with lead weights were also found.
Particularly notable is a necklace with more than 20 small pendants. Such necklaces are known as crepundia and were often worn by children. According to the park, the pendants could make a sound while walking and probably also had a protective or symbolic function.
The pendants are made from different materials and depict, among others, the gods Bes and Mercury. According to the park, the combination of personal objects, household items and trading weights may indicate that someone in the house practised a craft or was involved in trade.
Archaeologists stress that the discovery does not provide a portrait of a single resident. The original owner is not known with certainty. The house was previously linked to Cornelius Maximus on the basis of inscriptions, but those inscriptions are no longer visible.
The discovery forms part of a broader restoration and research programme in Pompeii. According to the researchers, small everyday objects are particularly valuable because written sources mainly tell us about elites and public buildings. The cupboard shows which belongings were kept in the home.
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The key facts have been confirmed by the official archaeological source and an independent news source. Interpretations concerning the owner and the use of the objects have been presented as uncertain or probable.
- confirmed A wooden cupboard that had remained sealed for almost two thousand years has been found in Pompeii. — Reported by the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and The Guardian. source
- confirmed The cupboard contained, among other things, cosmetic implements, a perfume bottle, coins and cooking utensils. — Confirmed by both sources. source
- confirmed The necklace is identified as crepundia and was often worn by children. — Description by the official archaeological park and The Guardian. source
Editor's note
The discovery and the objects found are confirmed by the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and The Guardian. The function of some objects, including the necklace, remains an archaeological interpretation.Sources
- Lo scavo di una domus nell’insula IX 11: il rinvenimento di un armarium con crepundia — Parco Archeologico di Pompei
- Perfume bottle and child’s necklace among treasures found in Pompeii wardrobe — The Guardian
More on this in Dutch media
- De Telegraaf — „pompeii archeologie”
- AD — „pompeii archeologie”
- de Volkskrant — „pompeii archeologie”