Pompeii archaeologists uncover 'sorcerer's treasure trove'

BBC.com ^ | 8/12/19 | BBC

[NormsRevenge]

Archaeologists working in the buried Roman city of Pompeii say they have uncovered a "sorcerer's treasure trove" of artefacts, including good-luck charms, mirrors and glass beads.

A room with the bodies of 10 victims, including women and children, was excavated in the same house.

Pompeii was engulfed by a volcanic eruption from Mt Vesuvius in AD 79.

The fatal eruption froze the city and its residents in time, making it a rich source for archaeologists.

The trove was found in what remained of a wooden box. The wood itself had decomposed and only the bronze hinges remained, preserved by the volcanic material which hardened over it.

In it were crystals, ceramic, amethysts and amber. Scarabs (beetle-shaped amulets) from the Middle East were identified, along with various gems, including a carnelian with a craftsman figure and a glass bead engraved with the head of Dionysus, the Roman god of wine, fertility and ritual madness.

It was more likely the objects belonged to a servant or a slave, rather than the owner of the house, Mr Osanna told the Italian news agency Ansa. None of the artefacts was made of gold, much favoured by the wealthy of Pompeii.

[NormsRevenge]

.

[NormsRevenge]

Pompeii Ping

[CJ Wolf]

Looks like some of the stuff at a dollar store. Pretty cool.

[mewzilla]

Or it could’ve just been stuff from somebody’s junk drawer/trinket box.

Cool, though!

[NormsRevenge]

or maybe some pieces were used as Monopoly markers.. or could be.

[NormsRevenge]

or maybe some pieces were used as Monopoly markers.. or could be.

[dfwgator]

including good-luck charms,

They obviously didn't work.

[mewzilla]

And, especially to archaeologists, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

[allendale]

It would appear all those lucky charms were pretty useless when it came time to protect the sorcerer and the people in that room. The volcano was not dissuaded.

[Sacajaweau]

Reminds me of Mom’s Button Box.

[teeman8r]

or my D&D table of stuff

[z3n]

or maybe some pieces were used as Monopoly markers.. or could be.
~~~
You landed on Appain Way.
There is a bath house hotel on this property. If you cannot pay, proceed straight to Praetorian guards and do not pass Milan

[Red Badger]

...including good-luck charms...

Obviously didn't work...............

[sphinx]

A large part of Pompeii, about 40 percent if memory serves, is still unexcavated. The archaeologists think they've uncovered all the main public areas and that what is left is mostly common folk territory. But still, there are amazing finds yet to come. Ten bodies in one house is interesting. It would be fascinating to see a map showing the distribution of the dead. The plaster cast technique for preserving the "ghost" images came along fairly late, and a lot of the human traces were destroyed in the early digging. But in the part of Pompeii not yet explored, one could still do a casualty map. That would be wonderful. Among other things, it would show if people tried to flee or bunkered up, thinking to ride out the eruption, only to be overcome unexpectedly by the poisonous gasses.

I'm not aware of any survivor's account from Pompey. Pliny the Younger was on the other side of the bay and went aboard a would-be rescue ship, but they were unable to reach the city. His account of the view from seaward is the one always cited. Does anyone know of an actual survivor's account from someone who was in the city and fled in time? That would seem to be something one would write about. Maybe no one got out.

[dfwgator]

[Gay State Conservative]

Life is,at times at least,unsettling enough with all the knowledge we've gained over time...particularly over the last 100 years or so.It's hard to imagine how unnerving it would have been in those dark ages 2000+ years ago.

[Styria]

Idols which could not protect their owner...

[Sacajaweau]

probably what my youngest son would say....

[equaviator]

[BobL]

“Looks like some of the stuff at a dollar store. Pretty cool.”

Crappy paint job on some of it too. My 10 year old car is holding up better.