Moregine, on the outskirts of Pompeii, was enveloped by the eruption of Vesuvius in the same devastating manner as its neighbor. Among the structures engulfed by ash and volcanic surges was a complex of buildings that are of particular interest to archaeologists. In this complex, a bath area, as well as a set of three triclinia, or dining rooms, has been discovered. The building was immensely luxurious—it included three dining rooms with sliding wooden doors and marble couches around a central dining table. The wall paintings of one triclinium, which are included in this exhibit, show the god Apollo playing a lyre. Various Muses surround him, and his face seems to be a portrait of the Emperor Nero, who ruled between 54 and 68A.D. This has led to speculation that perhaps the complex served as a staging post for Nero and his wife Poppaea, a native of Pompeii, as they traveled through the region.



In a building near this complex, the skeletons of a group of women have been found—two adults and three girls, one of whom was around fourteen while another was only four years old. One of the adults, a woman of about thirty, was carrying her jewelry with her in a small bag. The beautiful collection of golden jewelry included exquisite armbands, bracelets, rings, necklaces and a catena (an extremely long necklace), which would have been quite costly. One of the bracelets is inscribed from a master to his slave girl, DOMNUS ANCILLAE SUAE. This unusual inscription highlights a relationship that would have been common in the Roman world, one in which male owners used their female slaves for sex.

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