Pompeii excavation reveals middle-class home with intact furnishings

Archaeologists in Pompeii have uncovered the furnishings of a domus in the Regio V district, offering rare insight into the lives of the city's middle class. The discovery, announced by Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini, includes a lararium (household shrine) and a cistern basin with exceptional paintings, alongside everyday objects such as plates, vases, amphorae, glass and terracotta items, and a unique set of seven wax tablets tied with a cord. The house, known as the House of the Lararium, had five rooms, two of which were on an upper floor accessible via a mezzanine. While the courtyard was richly decorated, the other rooms were plain, with simple wooden furniture preserved through casts. Park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel noted that the inhabitants likely aspired to an otium lifestyle but lacked the means to fully realize it. The excavation is part of the ongoing Great Pompeii Project, which began conservation work in 2018 and expanded in 2021. General Director of Museums Massimo Osanna emphasized that Pompeii continues to yield new data, with the project establishing a methodology now applied in routine operations. The finds include a decorated bronze incense burner and objects left behind during the 79 AD eruption.