The director of the archaeological site, Gabriel Zustregel, explained in a statement carried by Effie, that the discovery of these furnished houses provides information about the middle and lower classes of Pompeii, “the majority of its inhabitants, but little representation in the sources.”
The excavation revolves around the so-called Casa del Larario, a luxurious sacred space that saw the light in 2018, and experts have already entered four rooms, two on the first floor and two in the basement, at street level.
Inside, they find countless pieces of furniture and objects illustrating “middle-class” life in Pompeii at the time it was all over, when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79, burying this Roman city for nearly two millennia.
In one of the rooms, simple and with a mud floor, and perhaps a pantry, there was a five-shelved, two-meter-high cabinet that still kept everyday items such as cups, plates, ceramics, small containers, and amphora.
The cabinet is located in the same place it occupied at the time of the eruption and is partially broken, because the weight of the lava material caused the roof of the house to collapse.
Experts will continue to investigate what the ashes hide on its lower shelves, and it’s a daunting task to preserve it.
In another small room, without decoration on its walls, you can see a simple bed, and a three-legged table with glass on top, which is believed to have been emptied by its owner after escaping from the fire.
The type of bed is identical to that found last year in the slave-room of Villa “Civita Giuluana”, without any decoration, removable and without mattress, only with a rope swing.
In another room on the first floor, another wardrobe with dishes and cups for household use, a bronze barrel and an “aromatic incense burner” or “attar” was found in excellent condition, according to Efe.
Zuktrigel explained: “In the Roman Empire there was a large part of the population fighting for their social status (…), a class that was weak in political crises and in times of famine, but ambitious when it came to social climbing.”
For this reason it is assumed that the inhabitants of Casa del Larario lived with the same ambition of prosperity because although some rooms are decorated and contain some valuables, others have “very simple” wooden furniture.
“We do not know the inhabitants of the house, but it is certain that the culture of entertainment that inspired the magnificent decoration of the courtyard represents the future they dream of and not a living reality,” the director explained.
The Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, celebrated this news, saying: “Pompeii does not cease to amaze and is a beautiful story of recovery, proving that Italy works as a team and invests in young people, in research and innovation that achieves extraordinary results. . . .”
