The first archaeological expeditions to the remains of ancient Roman cities quickly became a sensation. Researchers found gold jewelry and precious stones, which of course attracted the attention of the general public. However, scientists themselves attach much more importance to ordinary garbage, thanks to which today we begin to understand how the ancient Romans actually lived.
Recycling system
Over the past few years, the research team has developed a systematic view of ordinary street waste and even containers for storing it. The waste of the inhabitants of Pompeii and other cities that have vanished in time allows scientists to establish how the daily life of ordinary Romans was built.
Spare townspeople
In fact, the archaeologists were presented with a unique picture of the life of that time, based not on fabrications, but on material evidence. Carolina Cheng is a graduate student at the University of California, already preparing a study of everyday things in mass demand.
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Death in exchange for experience
Modest rural shacks and posh country houses of wealthy patricians were buried in 79 AD during the eruption of Vesuvius. As a result, more than twenty thousand people living in and around Pompeii died. But volcanic lava has preserved ancient artifacts in an unprecedented state: this is how the tragedy of the past became the success of modern science.
Dirty by nature
It suddenly turned out that most of the inhabitants of Pompeii did not pay much attention to the cleanliness of their homes. In the houses, stoves and kitchen utensils littered with ash have survived, as if some students arranged their dorms here. Professor Theodore Peña from Berkeley suggests that the lack of cleanliness is directly related to the general morale of the townspeople - most likely, the decline in morality was at its peak before the eruption.
Thrifty inhabitants
Archaeologists were also surprised by the thrift of the local population. Bronze buckets, covered with holes and dents, continued to be repaired and used as intended, cracked dishes were not thrown away and tried to be repaired to the last. The winery outside the city had a special cellar for amphorae: no one was going to throw out about a thousand chipped, outdated vessels.
Shard to shard
Researchers buried their heads in street trash with the expectation of finding a lot of broken glass from perfume bottles and other small vessels. But with rare exceptions, the search did not give any result: the fragments were collected and melted down in order to use the material again.
Ancient recyclers
Of course, it's too early to talk about the inhabitants of Pompeii as the first-ever most economical supporters of recycling. But the results already obtained speak for themselves: ceramics and other materials of broken things in most cases were reused or, at least, repaired several times.