A group of researchers working on the archaeological site PompeiiSouthern Italy, this day The discovery of several furnished rooms “typical of the middle class”with lockers full of things that have been closed since the explosion that destroyed the city two thousand years ago and that now allows us to discover how these social sectors live.
The discovery was made in an excavation carried out by a group of researchers in the vicinity of “The Lararium House”a luxurious sacred space that saw the light in 2018. In this new phase, experts have deepened Four rooms including spaceTwo on the first floor, two on the ground floor.
The director of the Archaeological Park, Gabriel Zustregel, said in a statement that the discovery of these furnished rooms Provides insight into the lower and middle classes in Pompeii, “most of its inhabitants but underrepresented in sources”at the moment it was all over, when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, burying this Roman colony for nearly two millennia.
The new discovery in Pompeii
Inside one of the rooms, simple and with a hammered floor, a Five cupboard rack It is two meters high and still keeps everyday things like Cups, plates, ceramics, small containers, and amphoras. The researchers believe that this space could function as storage.
The cabinet was in the exact location it was in at the time of the explosion and part of it was broken because the weight of the thermoplastic material caused the roof to collapse. Zuchtriegel reports that experts will continue to investigate what the ashes hide on its lower shelves.
In another small-sized room with no decoration on its walls, a A simple bed with part of its pillow, a table with three legs with a cup and an open trunkWhich is believed to have been emptied by its owner from the fire.
The bed type is identical to the one found last year in Slave Room Villa “Civita Giuluana”excluded from any decoration, removable and without a mattress, only with a net of ropes.
In the trunk, investigators found a Small edible casserole dish and oil lamp With a relief inscription representing the god Zeus transformed into an eagle.
And in other rooms on the first floor, another cupboard with dishes and cups for household use, a bronze basin and an “aromatic incense burner” or “attar” in excellent condition were found.
The struggle for social standing
“In the Roman Empire he was there A large section of the population is fighting for their social status (…) A weak class in political crises and famines but Ambitious when it comes to social climbingZuchtriegel explained.
This is why it is assumed that the inhabitants of Casa del Larario lived with the same ambition to flourish, since although some rooms appear to be decorated and contain some valuables, in others there has appeared “very simple” wooden furniture.
“We do not know the inhabitants of the house but certainly the culture of entertainment that inspires the exquisite decoration of the courtyard represents The future dreamed of more than a lived reality‘, via the site manager.
Regarding the discovery, the Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, emphasized that “Pompeii never ceases to amaze and is a beautiful story of recovery, proof that if Italy works as a team and invests in young people, research and innovation bring extraordinary results.”
sexism in food
This type of fossil has a Great historical value With it, you can reconstruct information that has been lost over time.
Last year, for example, a group of archaeologists examining the skeletal remains of victims of the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius at Herculaneum discovered that The ancient Romans had a diet that varied according to genderWomen ate more animal products and locally grown fruits and vegetables, while men got more expensive foods, such as fish.
This can be determined by a study led by the BioArCh team at York University in the UK, in which a group of researchers developed a new approach to analyze Amino acidsthe building blocks of proteins, 17 skeleton Adults found after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD