Park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel standing with the new finds which include a wooden chest and … [+]
Pompeii Archaeological Park
Excavations at the Pompeii archaeological park in Italy have shed light on the lives of the lower and middle classes in the ancient city, located near present-day Naples.
The discovery of several rooms containing furniture and household items gives an idea of a stratum of society that has been little investigated until now.
It’s part of site director Gabriel Zuchtriegel’s drive to reveal more about the lives of ordinary citizens when the violent volcanic eruption of 79 AD. C. devastated the city.
Pompeii excavations reveal family life moments before disaster struck
The latest finds are part of an excavation project in a series of rooms in a domus (house) that began in 2018.
The rooms are located in the Casa de Lararium, named for the discovery in 2018 of a room called a lararium dedicated to domestic protective spirits called lares.
A wooden chest left open as the occupants fled the eruption held a lantern with a bas-relief depiction. … [+]
Pompeii Archaeological Park
In the four small rooms, archaeologists have unearthed furniture and household objects that give a snapshot of life just before Vesuvius’ furious eruption buried Pompeii in ash.
Terracotta plates, vases, amphorae and objects have been discovered in chests and cupboards, hastily abandoned when the disaster struck the city.
More unusual objects have also been discovered, including an intricately decorated cradle-shaped incense burner and a collection of seven wax tablets held together by cord.
A wooden chest left open as the occupants fled the eruption contained a lantern with a bas-relief depiction of Zeus’s transformation into an eagle.
In the corridor, a wooden cabinet was recovered that had been damaged when the roof gave way during the volcanic explosion. Small jars, amphorae and glass dishes were found on the highest shelf.
More unusual objects have also been discovered, including an intricately decorated incense burner. … [+]
Pompeii Archaeological Park
In one bedroom, archaeologists unearthed fragments of a bed frame and traces of the shape and fabric of a pillow. The bed is identical to three others discovered last year in the Slave Room in a nearby domus.
What was life like for the middle classes in Pompeii?
Research in recent decades has focused on the extravagant lives of Pompeii’s upper class, revealing opulent villas with elaborate fresco decoration.
But Zuchtriegel has been working to enrich understanding of the city’s other residents, including servants and the middle classes.
“In the Roman empire, there was a significant proportion of the population who struggled with their social status and for whom daily bread was taken for granted,” Zuchtriegel said in a statement.
“It was a vulnerable class during political crises and famines, but also ambitious to climb the social ladder.”
Zuchtriegel adds that the owner of the House of Lararium was wealthy enough to embellish the courtyard with an ornately decorated cistern and sumptuous frescoes, but the funds were insufficient to decorate the other five rooms of the house.
The occupants of the house left ceramic and glass dishes on a small three-legged table as they fled. … [+]
Pompeii Archaeological Park
“We do not know who the inhabitants of the house were, but certainly the culture of otium (leisure) that inspired the wonderful decoration of the patio represented for them more a dream future than a lived reality,” said the director.
Several recent excavations have focused on a district in the north of the city known as Regio V. The area remains largely unexplored and the excavations are part of a larger intervention involving the maintenance and stabilization of this area.
“Pompeii is an ongoing discovery that continues to inspire awe […] for its unique quality of being an inexhaustible laboratory for study and learning”, said Massimo Osanna, former director of Pompeii.
Source: www.forbes.com