Emily Chan
This location has been seeing a lot of activity in recent years and has produced plenty of new finds. Back in its heyday, Regio IX contained more than 13,000 rooms across 1,070 housing units.
The shrine is about 86 square feet. Archaeologists found two bronze jugs, two bronze oil lamps, 15 vessels known as amphorae, and other household furnishings.
In addition, they uncovered construction materials that were most likely used for renovations and a heap of empty oyster shells.
The ancient Romans may have saved the shells to grind down and incorporate into mortar and plaster.
Gennaro Sangiuliano, the Italian Minister of Culture, visited the archaeological site recently and described it as a “treasure chest that is still partly unexplored.”
The excavations are part of a larger project to make a clear division between the excavated and non-excavated portions of Pompeii.
The culture ministry says that the goal of the project is to improve the protection of Pompeiian heritage.
The shrine is just the latest in a notable stream of finds within the ancient city. Not too long ago, archaeologists in Pompeii stumbled upon sketches depicting scenes of gladiators and hunters battling animals and against each other.
The drawings were made by children between the ages of five and seven, sometime before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
They showed that even young children were exposed to extreme violence during ancient times.
