Archaeologists find personal belongings in a Pompeii wardrobe

Archaeologists have recovered a child’s charm necklace, personal-care tools and money from a wooden wardrobe in a home on Pompeii’s Via dell’Abbondanza. Sealed since Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, the wardrobe preserved evidence of the inhabitants’ daily routines and possible trading activity.

The house’s facade was first excavated in 1912, and archaeologists are exploring some rooms as part of a wider restoration project, The Guardian said. The house is traditionally associated with Cornelius Maximus because of inscriptions that are no longer visible.

A necklace that could help identify children

The necklace belongs to a type called crepundia, traditionally worn by children. Its charms rattled, helping parents keep track of children, and could also help identify them.

Pompeii Archaeological Park describes pieces made from materials including bone, glass paste and rock crystal, with holes for hanging them. The images include hands, feet, pine cones, grape clusters and the gods Bes and Mercury. Bes was an ancient Egyptian protector of households, particularly mothers, children and childbirth. Mercury was a Roman god associated with commerce, communication and travelers.

Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the park’s director, said crepundia could remind children of parents who lived far away. He connected their significance to people moving around the Mediterranean and carrying personal objects with them.

Personal care and possible trade

The personal-care objects included a small glass perfume bottle, tweezers and a coticula, a tool for mixing pigments. The wardrobe also held cooking pots and 38 bronze coins.

Zuchtriegel said the money and personal belongings left behind could indicate that the owners had to flee the eruption at short notice.

Lead weights lay in the scant remains of a small wooden box. The park says they could be consistent with commercial activity, but their specific function still needs to be assessed against where they were found and the other objects recovered with them.