Science1 min read

Pompeii cupboard reveals 38 bronze coins and childhood charms

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The nearly 2,000-year-old wooden cabinet housed domestic utensils, an incense burner, tweezers, and cooking vessels crafted from glass, ceramic, and bronze. A woven plant container within the furniture stored currency alongside lead weights, indicating the home's occupants might have been actively involved in local commerce. The presence of protective crepundia charms further reveals how Roman families guarded children from harm and preserved sentimental keepsakes. Researchers concluded that the sudden devastation forced the residents to abandon their life savings and treasured family items.

Key points

  • The combination of lead weights and currency suggests a resident of the household was lik…: The combination of lead weights and currency suggests a resident of the household was likely engaged in commercial trade.
  • Crepundia charms functioned as protective amulets and noisemakers for Roman children that…: Crepundia charms functioned as protective amulets and noisemakers for Roman children that were often retained into adult life.
  • Abandoned monetary and personal treasures indicate the occupants had no time to gather va…: Abandoned monetary and personal treasures indicate the occupants had no time to gather valuable belongings before the eruption struck.

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Have you ever thought about how our ancestors lived? The things that we commonly use now, like Wi-Fi, smartphones and fancy cars, did not exist even a few years ago, so what can we expect from the people who lived hundreds of years ago? The mere thought of their existence fascinates historians and archaeologists as well. To know more about them is to know humanity, to understand how we came here and who we are better. Ultimately, to know is to be. To be a better human.

We often associate archaeological discoveries with grand monuments, royal tombs and ancient treasures from lost civilisations. But sometimes, it is the smallest and most ordinary objects that tell us the most about how people actually lived thousands of years ago. Civilisation was not built in palaces; it was built around communities. Everyday objects, like a perfume bottle, a cooking pot, a handful of coins or even a childhood necklace, can reveal details about the everyday lives of the masses.

In a recent discovery at Pompeii, according to the Pompeii Archaeological Park, Italian archaeologists…

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