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Jewelry from the Villa in Oplontis near Pompeii

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“The woman who owned this jewellery is the wealthiest of the victims yet discovered. In a bag by her side she carried 100 gold and 200 silver coins, as well as jewellery including an emerald and gold necklace, a ring with a snake’s head, an armlet showing Venus and Cupid and two long ‘body chains’, a rare and sophisticated adornment.”

Gold double-headed snake ring with a green glass paste eyes; Oplontis B, room 10, from box with skeleton 27 (cat. 188) Inv. no. 73403
Gold snake ring; Oplontis B, room 10, from cloth bag with skeleton 14 (cat. 183) Inv. no. 73317

This delicate gold bracelet is adorned with a relief depicting Venus Pompeiana. Goddess holds an olive or myrtle branch, and a thyrsus. Beside her stands Cupid with a mirror.

Second gold bracelet with Venus from Villa in Oplontis shows Venus taking bath.
Silver hairpin with a figurine of Venus.
Oplontis B, room 10, from skeleton 10 (cat. 173) Inv. no. 74625

Pair of simple bracelets with emeralds.
Oplontis B, room 10, from left arm of skeleton 14 (cat. 179) Inv. no. 73341
Oplontis B, room 10, from right arm of skeleton 14 (cat. 180) Inv. no. 73312

Lunula pendant with emeralds and a pearl
Oplontis B, room 10, from leather bag with skeleton 7 (cat. 175) Inv. no. 73321
Golden ring with a green chalcedony (plasma) intaglio with an image of the grazing bull
Oplontis B, room 10, from leather bag with skeleton 7 (cat. 175) Inv. no. 73321
Gold ring with a chalcedony intaglio with image of Mercury.
Oplontis B, room 10, from cloth bag with skeleton 14 (cat. 181) Inv. no. 73314

Necklace made of gold and emerald beads.
Oplontis B, room 10, from box with skeleton 27 (cat. 186) Inv. no. 73412a
“The necklace is 58 cm long and is made of an alternate succession of 24 oval plain gold beads (1.3 x 0.7 mm average) and 19 hexagonal prisms of emerald crystals.”
Research analysis revealed that the emeralds on the Oplontis necklace were traded to Rome from the El Sikait deposit, the famous emerald mine in Egypt. The earliest documented records of the functioning of a mine are the records of Strabo, a Greek geographer, philosopher, and historian (63 BCE – 24 CE).

Crotalia type earrings, gold and pearls
Oplontis B, room 10, from a box with skeleton 27 (cat. 189) Inv. no. 73407
Hemispherical earrings made of simple gold foil; Oplontis B, room 10, from box with skeleton 27 (cat. 190) Inv. no. 73408
Gold ring with a round pearl
Oplontis B, room 10, from leather bag with skeleton 7 (cat. 176) Inv. no. 73320
Gold earrings; Oplontis B, room 10, from room 15 (cat. 174) Inv. no. 72996
Hemispherical earrings made with gold wire that secures 55 quartz circles; Oplontis B, room 10, from a leather bag found with skeleton 7 (cat. 177) Inv. no. 73326
Golden necklace with a Lunula pendant
Oplontis B, room 10, from box with skeleton 27 (cat. 187) Inv. no. 73409
Gold body chain (?)
Oplontis B, room 10, from neck of skeleton 27 (cat. 184) Inv. no. 73410

Sources:
1. Exhibition: Leisure and Luxury in the Age of Nero: The Villas of Oplontis near Pompeii; the Kelsey Museum
Jewelry from Oplontis B

2. The emerald and gold necklace from Oplontis, Vesuvian Area, Naples, Italy
Research report on the origin of emeralds by Carlo Aurisicchioa, Alessia Coramib, Sylvana Ehrmanc, Giorgio Grazianib, Stella Nunziante Cesarod
Journal of Archaeological Science
Volume 33, Issue 5, May 2006, Pages 725-734

3. Presentation on theme: “Outside the house: Pompeii”

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