The Jewelry of Pompeii
Fragment from the Frieze of the Cupids showing cupids working as goldsmiths, House of the Vettii, Pompeii, 1st century CE (Parco Archeologico di Pompei, Photo: Alexis Menten)
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, it preserved not only Pompeii, Herculaneum, and nearby towns, but also a fascinating record of Roman jewelry. Unlike most ancient jewelry, which often survives without clear archaeological context, these pieces were found exactly where their owners left them.
View of Mount Vesuvius from Pompeii (Parco Archeologico di Pompei, Photo: Alexis Menten)
Ancient Romans of all classes, men and women, owned jewelry. Jewelry was discovered on skeletons, among possessions carried during the evacuation, or left behind in houses. Gold survives where many materials do not—even in a volcanic eruption.
Lump of melted coins and jewelry (jasper, bronze, gold, pearls, emerald), Herculaneum, 1st century CE (Parco Archeologico di Ercolano, Photo: Alexis Menten)
Among the jewelry recovered, several styles appear again and again: loop-in-loop and figure-of-eight chains, crescent-shaped pendants, serpent bracelets, and domed disc earrings, among others. Together, they give us a sense of what Romans actually wore in daily life.
Several gold woven loop-in-loop chains were found, some long enough to be worn as body chains around the torso. Figure-of-eight chains were often worn close to the neck and paired with lunula pendants, protective amulets often worn by Roman girls and young women.
Gold necklace with crescent (lunula) pendant, Oplontis B, 79 CE (Regents of the University of Michigan)
Another common style is a bracelet composed of two rows of hemispherical half-domes joined by chain links. Several examples were discovered in Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Gold bracelet with interlinking hemispheres, Pompeii, 1st century CE (Antiquarium di Ercolano, Photo: Alexis Menten)
Multiple gold serpent bracelets were also found. Some are molded from solid gold, others hollow, and still others formed from thin sheet. Archaeologists have suggested that the heavier solid examples were not only adornment but also a form of personal savings. This practice of storing wealth in gold jewelry continued from the Greek Hellenistic tradition and likely from even earlier periods.
Gold snake bracelets, Roman, Herculaneum, 1st century CE (Antiquarium di Ercolano, Photo: Alexis Menten)
Why did some Romans own solid gold jewelry while others had hollow or gilded versions? The differences may reflect wealth and access to luxury goods, but it is also possible that one person may have owned both—lighter pieces for everyday wear and solid gold jewelry as an investment or heirloom.
What makes the jewelry from Pompeii so affecting is its connection to individual lives. These were objects people wore and valued—the things they reached for and carried with them. Nearly two thousand years later, they can still bring us remarkably close to the people who once owned them.
Continuing the Tradition
The jewelry found with those who fled the eruption of Mount Vesuvius is both evocative and deeply human. Studying these pieces—their forms, construction methods, and historical context—continues to inform my own work today.
