Archaeologists find the coffin of a "witch" in Pompeii

Categories: Finds and rescue research abroad , Nálezy nejenom s detektorem v západní Evropě

During the research in the sumptuous Pompeian villa, glass, bone, bronze or amber amulets, figurines, jewellery, decorative parts of Egyptianfaience, phallic statuettes and other objects of ritual significance that may have been used in magical rituals almost two thousand years ago.

The remains of a wooden chest with bronze hinges were found during excavations at the "House of the Garden" in theRegio V, the same villa where research was carried out in 2018 and where an inscription setting the explosion of Vesuvius on the 24th was discovered. October instead of the usual 24 August. The new place of discovery lies in the part of the villa that was reserved for the servants.

Traces of wood and the "petrified" imprint of a box were preserved in the volcanic ash. Among the objects excavated from the ash were found items such as. Numerous beads, mirrors, small phalluses, a gemstone and glass intaglios - very well craftedcrafted scenes of the head of Dionysus, dancing Satyr, an ear of wheat, all in glass, carnelian or amber. Also bronze bracelets, bells, faience and amethyst scarabs, human and animal figures, buttons or a skull carved from bone...

According to the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, Massimo Osanna, most of the items belonged to women: "They are objects of everyday life in a woman's world and they are really extraordinary because they tell micro-stories, biographies of the inhabitants of the city who tried to escape the eruption. We've seen these objects in various paintings and in individual finds throughout Pompeii, but we've never found a collection this large before. They were probably used in magical ceremonies and rituals."

Although the collection contains many artefacts of a decorative nature, many of the objects have ritual overtones. These include protective amulets, figures and symbols with apotropaic significance (i.e. the ability to ward off curses, afflictions, etc.), as well as phallic symbols as protectors of the household, children and mothers. Wheat was a symbol of prosperity. The sound of bells warded off bad luck. Closed fist, skull, scarabs were supposed to bring good luck. Also very interesting is the composition of the objects, which obviously come from different parts of the then known world.

In this villa, archaeologists previously found the remains of ten victims of the fateful Vesuvius explosion, including women and children. Scientists are trying to find connections between them using DNA analysis. It is possible that the chest containing the objects belonged to one of these women, possibly a slave or a servant. The likelihood of the chest belonging to the mistress of the house is very low because it contains no valuable or expensive items.

The artifacts discovered have been conserved and will be on display in an exhibition dedicated to the jewels discovered at Pompeii.

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Roman Nemec

Sources: bbc.com, thehistoryblog.com, foxnews.com, abc.net.a

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Nález neuvěřitelný a místo neskutečné. Do Pompejí by se měl podívat každý hledač alespoň jednou.

Tak to je velikánský mazec!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-O

Elmary.... ... Ale jen podivat, noxe nechat doma... To bych zdůraznil :-D :-D :-D ;-)

On ten nox neni potřeba, válí se to tam všude po zemi, i pěkný věci.

Tenhle nález je úžasnej. Tyhle malý věci sou krásný, hlavně když nejsou falešný jako všechny ty online a po stáncích.

To Dom.... je to tak, i když se to zdá takřka k neuvěření. Prostě takové archeologické... porno :-)

Krásný nález. :-)

Podobnou sbírku jsem měl jako kluk taky v krabičce. ;-)

Dobrá zajímavost, precizní prácička na malém prostoru :-D :-D Dneska to "vymrskne" vstřikolis nebo 3D tiskárna....

Spíš věštkyně ale dobrá

Zajímavý. :-O :-O :-)

Elmara: "Do Pompejí by se měl podívat každý hledač alespoň jednou." ... s detíkem??? :-D

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