🏺 🐍 Lararium from the House of the Vetti - the shrine to the gods of the pompeians 🏛️⭐

🏺🐍  Lararium from the House of the Vetti - the shrine to the gods of the pompeians and all the rituals 🏛️⭐

Lararia are shrines to the gods of the household, dedicated to the Lares, the household deities, and sometimes other protective spirits.

Theere are different shapes and forms in many Pompeian houses, ranging from simple wall-paintings to large and elaborate shrines. 

Here, the lararium imitates the form of a temple. Columns support a pediment, and frame a central painting. 

✅Two dancing lares (guardians of the family, who protect the household from external threats) hold raised drinking  cornucopias, a symbol of abundance

They are positioned on either side of the  Genius

✅ Genius (who represents the spirit of the male head of the household), who is dressed in a toga and making a sacrifice.

✅ Beneath them all is a serpent. 

Snakes (Agathodaemon) are often depicted in lararia, and were considered guardian spirits of the family and symbolizes fertility and protection.

👬🏽Vettii brothers 

The Lararium  in the House of the Vettii is exceptionally famous for a few key reasons:The Owners' Status: It belonged to the Vettii brothers, Aulus Vettius Conviva and Aulus Vettius Restitutus , who were freedmen (former slaves). Their immense wealth, demonstrated by this lavish house and lararium, provides a unique, highly decorated window into the domestic life and religion of an ambitious, newly elite class.

✅  What  Pompeian  familes  were  placing on that altar to venerate the gods ?

 🍇 Wine (Vinum) : Would be the top choice due to its near-universal use in Roman ritual   This is perhaps the most essential and ubiquitous liquid offering. Wine was a staple of Roman life and was used in virtually all religious ceremonies, both public and private. A small amount of wine would be poured out as a dedication before a meal began.

🥛 Milk (Lac)  : A simple, pure, and common liquid, especially associated with offerings to the  and the ancestors, as it was considered a respectful, non-luxurious tribute.

 🫒Oil ( Oleum ) : While sometimes mixed with wine, oil was a fundamental product of the Mediterranean world, used for cooking, lighting, and bathing. A small offering of the house's supply would be a natural act of thanks and dedication.

💦 Water (Aqua) : Although perhaps less often mentioned than wine or milk for formal libations, water is the ultimate necessity. A simple, pure offering of water could be made, symbolizing life and purity.

🫐 Figs, Dates, Pine cones, Grape seeds, and whole Eggs were common

🐷 Symbolic items: Items were placed on the altar to represent significant life events, such as a boy's first beard or a young girl's doll for a wedding. A pig's head or ham was also found on some altars. 

#visitnaplesandamalficoast  #visitnaples  #pompeii  #withsal