Pompeii: 38 coins and childhood amulets found in an ancient cupboard
The Archaeological Park announced finds from house IX 11, 7. The occupants’ identities and fate remain open research questions.
A cupboard found in house IX 11, 7, conventionally known as the House of Cornelius Maximus, sheds light on everyday Pompeian life. The Archaeological Park presented the discoveries on 29 October 2026.
Finds include 38 bronze coins in a woven container and at least 24 miniature objects with suspension holes, interpreted as childhood amulets known as crepundia. Vessels, personal-care tools and lead weights were also reported.
Evidence and interpretation
Possible commercial use of the weights and retention of amulets as childhood keepsakes are archaeological interpretations. No particular woman has been identified, nor has it been established that the owner died in the eruption of AD 79. The Park leaves open whether occupants escaped and why they did not return for their possessions.
Even attribution of the house to Cornelius Maximus is uncertain. The research’s value lies in combining material traces, not in a definitively reconstructed biography.
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