Page 45 - Pompeii n. 12 - The world of money at Pompeii

English version

In many Pompeian houses, almost always in the atrium, the tablinum or the peristyle,
coin hoards of different values were discovered, kept in arcae (strongboxes) of wood and
bronze, in wardrobes, in money banks or terracotta jars.
However, in the houses belonging to the highest class, recognizable by their size,
layout and decoration, significant quantities of money were not found, as we might
expect.
This is due to both the missing and irregular documentation of the most ancient
excavations and because many liquid assets were saved by the owners, as demonstrated
by the strongboxes found empty in some rich houses
such as, for example, the House of the Faun, the House of the Vettii or the House of
the Ephebe.
Instead, the large house named “of Menander” was uninhabited at the time of the
eruption as renovation work was underway; therefore the owner, belonging to the
powerful Poppaei family, had placed the family “treasure” in the cellar closed in a chest,
and had entrusted the procurator, the administrator of the household farm living in the
rustic area, the task of managing the house and overseeing the work.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. Silver cup from Pompeii, House of Menander.
Inv. 145506. ©SSBAPES.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. Silver cup from Pompeii, House of Menander.
Inv. 145514. ©SSBAPES.

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