flesh1
Spectator
In the year 2000, working on a road by a bridge in between Pompei end Castellammare di Stabia, south of Pompei, were found 11 skeletal remains. Between these, two were women apparentently aged in their thirties and some young people part of which impossible to determine whether male or female, since the remains were damaged by the heat and covered by hot volcanic ashes.
The year of death is 79 a.C, the year of the eruption of Vesuvius.
If the cause of death has to be attributed to the eruption, the probable date was 24th august in the late afternoon or the evening, or the first hours of 25th of the year 79, in the late stage of the eruption.
The first stage, early afternoon, was the fall of cinders – pumice – not many people died here. In this stage the plinian column was forming. Practically there was only fall of ashes – white pumices – some bigger stone here and there and all earthquakes one after the other.
The second stage, late afternoon, the fall changed with darh ashes – brown pumices – and the fiery rain increased. We are in the late afternoon-early evening of 24th.
Then followed a period of quiet. Many people in the two stages before abandoned their houses and saved themselves. At this stage many people erroneously thought the eruption was over and came back to their houses to gather their gold and the money. Tragic mistake, because in these moment the plinian column collapsed making several pyroclastic surges running down the slopes destroying and burying everything the surges encountered on their run.
All this together with emission of gases making the air, already thick for the hot dust, unbreathable for the acidic gases of hydrocloric acid.
In this stage of the eruption died the most of the people, and when the surges came immediately after they buried corpses of peole already asphyxiated.
Many people encountered death in vital position and died in a state of muscular tension.
Someone died quietly as if he/she sat down awaiting for death, presumably once understood there was no escape and nothing else to do than waiting the Black Lady, death.
Let's come back to the remains of Moregine.
One of the adults was a female aged about 30-35.
She looks half naked (in the upper part of the body the ashes covered her not showing the folds of the tunic, at least apparently).
What is more important is the she at the moment of death was wearing an armilla, a bracelet aound the upper arm. All of gold.
This is a golden jewel, in the inner part of which we can read engraved the following words:
DOMNUS. ANCILLAE. SUAE
meaning: “the master to his slavegirl”.
This woman had a purse with some money into it. It is a small sum of money, revealing she was not a rich woman and conferming her social state of slave woman.
A woman with a so small sum of money could never afford such an armilla all made of gold.
This armilla was forged in the shape of a snake. In that age the snake was not associated with a bad meaning (this happened in the Christian age beacuse of the temptation snake in the Old Testament).
Often the snake in the Roman age was related to sexuality, symbolizing the force of sex.
And inside it the dedication DOM(I)NUS ANCILLAE SVAE, the master for his slavegirl.
We do not know the name of this woman and her lover.
Yes, lover, because it's almost sure his master was also her lover.
This woman was wearing a small golden chain braided on her breasts and falling on her hips.
A sexual garment.
Someone has conjectured she was a prostitute owned by his master, but no one knows.
It could be this woman was involved in some sexual activity, more likely exclusively with her master.
Sure we know only she was a slave and was involved in sex, somehow. As a prostitute or as a lover.
May be an ex-prostitute at the service of her master only.
Il could also be that the goup of mortal remains around her was made of members of her family (for family we mean the master, his relatives and the servants) and one or more of the kids of which is impossible to determine the sex, was son of her. Son (or daughter) of this slave-woman and her master.
She is known to the archaeologists as “the slave-woman of Moregine”.
I have thought a long time about this unknown woman and her lover.
Who could she be and what could she be like.
Aged about thirtyfive, nice looking, an expert of the arts of Venus.
The unknown man who gifted her of such a precious jewel encarved with a dedication had to be fallen with her.
Il she had been a prostitute as a young slavegirl, later presumably she was no more a bare whore.
She was a woman lover of a man beyond their social status, and their story buried in the eruption that 24 august 79 emerged from the debris of time witnessing to us their so noble as tragic history.
Just imagine for a moment if some day in the future a device could bring her back to life and speak, may be just for a moment, before fading again in oblivion !!
The year of death is 79 a.C, the year of the eruption of Vesuvius.
If the cause of death has to be attributed to the eruption, the probable date was 24th august in the late afternoon or the evening, or the first hours of 25th of the year 79, in the late stage of the eruption.
The first stage, early afternoon, was the fall of cinders – pumice – not many people died here. In this stage the plinian column was forming. Practically there was only fall of ashes – white pumices – some bigger stone here and there and all earthquakes one after the other.
The second stage, late afternoon, the fall changed with darh ashes – brown pumices – and the fiery rain increased. We are in the late afternoon-early evening of 24th.
Then followed a period of quiet. Many people in the two stages before abandoned their houses and saved themselves. At this stage many people erroneously thought the eruption was over and came back to their houses to gather their gold and the money. Tragic mistake, because in these moment the plinian column collapsed making several pyroclastic surges running down the slopes destroying and burying everything the surges encountered on their run.
All this together with emission of gases making the air, already thick for the hot dust, unbreathable for the acidic gases of hydrocloric acid.
In this stage of the eruption died the most of the people, and when the surges came immediately after they buried corpses of peole already asphyxiated.
Many people encountered death in vital position and died in a state of muscular tension.
Someone died quietly as if he/she sat down awaiting for death, presumably once understood there was no escape and nothing else to do than waiting the Black Lady, death.
Let's come back to the remains of Moregine.
One of the adults was a female aged about 30-35.
She looks half naked (in the upper part of the body the ashes covered her not showing the folds of the tunic, at least apparently).
What is more important is the she at the moment of death was wearing an armilla, a bracelet aound the upper arm. All of gold.
This is a golden jewel, in the inner part of which we can read engraved the following words:
DOMNUS. ANCILLAE. SUAE
meaning: “the master to his slavegirl”.
This woman had a purse with some money into it. It is a small sum of money, revealing she was not a rich woman and conferming her social state of slave woman.
A woman with a so small sum of money could never afford such an armilla all made of gold.
This armilla was forged in the shape of a snake. In that age the snake was not associated with a bad meaning (this happened in the Christian age beacuse of the temptation snake in the Old Testament).
Often the snake in the Roman age was related to sexuality, symbolizing the force of sex.
And inside it the dedication DOM(I)NUS ANCILLAE SVAE, the master for his slavegirl.
We do not know the name of this woman and her lover.
Yes, lover, because it's almost sure his master was also her lover.
This woman was wearing a small golden chain braided on her breasts and falling on her hips.
A sexual garment.
Someone has conjectured she was a prostitute owned by his master, but no one knows.
It could be this woman was involved in some sexual activity, more likely exclusively with her master.
Sure we know only she was a slave and was involved in sex, somehow. As a prostitute or as a lover.
May be an ex-prostitute at the service of her master only.
Il could also be that the goup of mortal remains around her was made of members of her family (for family we mean the master, his relatives and the servants) and one or more of the kids of which is impossible to determine the sex, was son of her. Son (or daughter) of this slave-woman and her master.
She is known to the archaeologists as “the slave-woman of Moregine”.
I have thought a long time about this unknown woman and her lover.
Who could she be and what could she be like.
Aged about thirtyfive, nice looking, an expert of the arts of Venus.
The unknown man who gifted her of such a precious jewel encarved with a dedication had to be fallen with her.
Il she had been a prostitute as a young slavegirl, later presumably she was no more a bare whore.
She was a woman lover of a man beyond their social status, and their story buried in the eruption that 24 august 79 emerged from the debris of time witnessing to us their so noble as tragic history.
Just imagine for a moment if some day in the future a device could bring her back to life and speak, may be just for a moment, before fading again in oblivion !!
