Fragments of personal objects, including a small glass perfume bottle and a child's necklace, have been found in a wooden wardrobe sealed for almost 2,000 years in the ruins of Pompeii, offering an intimate glimpse of daily life before the city was devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.
The wardrobe was discovered in a room of a home on Via dell'Abbondanza, one of the most bustling streets in the ancient city. Alongside the perfume bottle, archaeologists found tweezers, an incense burner, a bronze lantern, cooking pots, 38 bronze coins and a wooden box with lead weights, suggesting that someone who lived in the home was a tradesperson. The money and personal objects left behind could point to the owners having to flee the eruption at short notice, said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii archaeological park. The fragmented skeletons of two mice were also found inside an amphora kept in a storage area of the home.
The most intriguing relic was a necklace featuring more than 20 small charms crafted from various materials and representing several deities, including the gods Bes and Mercury. Known as a crepundia, the type of necklace was traditionally worn by children, its rattling charms helping parents keep track of their children and possibly helping them to be identified. “A crepundia had a very special function,” Zuchtriegel said. “It was a reminder of their parents who perhaps lived far away … it was very typical of this society of people, who were often displaced. Many people moved around in the Mediterranean area and tended to carry personal objects with them.”
The home had previously been associated with a person called Cornelius Maximus owing to the discovery of inscriptions that are no longer visible. Its facade was first excavated in 1912, but experts are only now delving into some of its rooms as part of a wider restoration project.
Excavations are also under way at the Villa of the Mysteries in a suburb of Pompeii. "It's never been completely excavated, so we kind of want to finish the job," Zuchtriegel said. "What's interesting is that we're not excavating in the part where the owners lived and where great frescoes are to be expected, but in the servants' quarters. So what we hope to find there is more insight into the daily life and economy of those who were somehow in the shadow of history. The majority of the inhabitants in the Villa of the Mysteries were actually servants."
Excavations at Pompeii regularly yield discoveries from the ruins, including a large thermal bath complex found in 2025 on Via di Nola and, in 2023, a home containing a cramped bakery where enslaved people were believed to have been imprisoned and made to produce bread.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The objects offer a rare, intimate record of the everyday possessions of ordinary Pompeians, rather than the grand frescoes and public buildings that dominate the site.
- The abandoned coins and personal items suggest how abruptly residents had to flee when Vesuvius erupted in AD79.
- The finds come from rooms of a home whose facade was excavated more than a century ago but which are only now being studied, part of a wider restoration project.
Background
Pompeii was devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79, burying the city in ash and preserving its buildings and contents for almost two millennia. The home's facade was first excavated in 1912, and recent seasons have brought a steady stream of discoveries from across the ruins, including a thermal bath complex in 2025 and a bakery home in 2023.
What to Watch
- Whether further rooms of the Via dell'Abbondanza home yield more evidence about the tradesperson suggested by the lead weights.
- Findings from the servants' quarters of the Villa of the Mysteries, where archaeologists aim to "finish the job" of excavation.
- Any additional objects that clarify how residents prepared to leave as the eruption approached.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedA child’s necklace and perfume bottle were among treasures found in a Pompeii wardrobe.World news | The Guardian: “Fragments of personal objects, from makeup tools and a perfume bottle to coins and a child’s necklace, have been found tucked away in a wooden wardrobe”
- SupportedFragments of personal objects were found in a wooden wardrobe sealed for almost 2,000 years, offering a glimpse of daily life before the AD79 eruption.World news | The Guardian: “The artifacts provide an intimate glimpse of daily life in the ancient Roman city before it was devastated by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79.”
- SupportedThe wardrobe was in a home on Via dell’Abbondanza, one of Pompeii’s most bustling streets.World news | The Guardian: “The wardrobe was discovered in a room of a home on Via dell’Abbondanza, which was one of the most bustling streets in Pompeii.”
- SupportedThe wardrobe contained 38 bronze coins.World news | The Guardian: “The wardrobe contained other items including 38 bronze coins, cooking pots and a wooden box with lead weights”
- SupportedA wooden box with lead weights suggested that someone who lived in the home was a tradesperson.World news | The Guardian: “a wooden box with lead weights, suggesting that someone who lived in the home was a tradesperson.”
- SupportedZuchtriegel said the money and personal objects left behind could point to the owners having to flee the eruption at short notice.World news | The Guardian: “The fact that money and personal objects were left behind could point to the owners having to flee the eruption at short notice, Zuchtriegel said.”
- SupportedArchaeologists found fragmented skeletons of two mice inside an amphora kept in a storage area of the home.World news | The Guardian: “Archaeologists also found the fragmented skeletons of two mice inside an amphora that had been kept in a storage area of the home.”
- SupportedThe crepundia had more than 20 charms made from various materials and representing deities including Bes and Mercury.World news | The Guardian: “a necklace featuring more than 20 small charms crafted from various materials and representing several deities, including depictions of the gods Bes and Mercury.”
- SupportedZuchtriegel said, “A crepundia had a very special function.”World news | The Guardian: ““A crepundia had a very special function,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii archaeological park.”
- SupportedThe home had previously been associated with a person called Cornelius Maximus because of inscriptions that are no longer visible.World news | The Guardian: “The home had previously been associated with a person called Cornelius Maximus owing to the discovery of inscriptions, which are no longer visible.”
- SupportedZuchtriegel said of the Villa of the Mysteries, “It's never been completely excavated, so we kind of want to finish the job.”World news | The Guardian: ““It’s never been completely excavated, so we kind of want to finish the job,” said Zuchtriegel.”
- SupportedZuchtriegel said the Villa of the Mysteries’ servants’ quarters were being excavated and that most of its inhabitants were servants.World news | The Guardian: ““What’s interesting is that we’re not excavating in the part where the owners lived and where great frescoes are to be expected, but in the servants’ quarters. “So what we hope to find there is more insight into the daily life and economy of those who were somehow in the shadow of history. The majority of the inhabitants in the Villa of the Mysteries were actually servants.””
