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2,000-Year-Old Pompeii Wardrobe Yields Makeup, Child's Necklace
30 Oct
Summary
- Wardrobe sealed since AD79 eruption contains personal items.
- Child's necklace with deity charms found, believed to be crepundia.
- Coins and weights suggest a tradesperson lived in the unearthed home.
Archaeologists in Pompeii have unearthed a wooden wardrobe sealed since the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. This remarkable discovery, located on the bustling Via dell'Abbondanza, offers an intimate look at daily life in the ancient Roman city. The wardrobe contained personal items such as tweezers, a perfume bottle, an incense burner, and a bronze lantern.
Among the most intriguing artifacts is a child's necklace, known as a crepundia, adorned with more than 20 charms depicting various deities. These necklaces, traditionally worn by children, served as identifiers and comforting reminders of family. The presence of 38 bronze coins and lead weights also suggests the home belonged to a tradesperson.
Evidence indicates the owners may have fled the eruption suddenly, leaving behind their valuables and personal effects. The discovery was made in a room of a house previously associated with Cornelius Maximus, with its facade first excavated in 1912. Ongoing restoration projects at Pompeii continue to reveal insights into the lives of its inhabitants.
