A resplendent seaside resort with magnificent frescoes may have served as a hospitality center for Roman merchants. by Jura Harris & Pherographs by MAGINE SPENDING A Da luxuriating in a Roman health spa by the Bay of Naples. In the evening you dine on fresh fish washed down by a fine wine from grapes grown on Mount Vesuvius served by fair young maidens in a lavishly frescoed dining room, Such would have been the experience of a businessman enjoying a stay at the inn. at Agro Murecine, destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 4.0.79 and discovered during a high: way widening project just south of Pompeii early last year (see Anctiagorocy, July/August 2000, pp. 14-15) The first evidence of the inn surfaced more than 40 years ago, ‘when bulldozers truck one ofits frescoed walls during construc tion of the Naples-Pompeii- Salerno highway. Three of the inn’s five triclinia, or dining rooms, were found and hastily excavated. Adorning the dining room walls were magnificent murals depicting the Argonaut twins Castor and Pollux, broth. cts of Helen of Troy; a winged Victory bearing a helmet, shield ° ANGELA M.H. Scuuster Proto SORRENTINO, ‘and lance; the muses of music, poetry, and celestial knowl- ccige; and a male personification of the River Samo, which uns alongside the inn, a comucopia in his hand. The murals, of which there are 15, have been hailed by schol- ars as the finest frescoes found at Pompeii since the dis- ‘covery of those in the Villa of the Mysteries in the 1920s. ‘Among, other finds recovered at Murecine of 127 waxed wooden tablets, which had b wicker basket on a bench in one of the dining rooms. Known col- lectively as the Sulpicii Archive after three businessmen who figure prominently in the texts, the documents record commer cial transactions in the port of Puteoli (modem Pozzi), actoss the Bay of Naples, between a. 26 and 61 (see page 33). The discovery of these documents led archaeologists to believe that the inn may have served as ‘a hospitality center for a com mercial trade association, “The most recent finds, in- cluding two additional dining rooms, came to light as a result dom pe 35) ‘Arehacology « May/June 2001' —-— ; 1 ww archaeology org AaN | UMArchaeology « Mey/June 2001 | 7ic Banking and Borrowing in a Roman Port ° by Jean Axpneau F ALL THE FINDS recovered in the exca tion of the Roman resort of Agro Mureeine, among the most important was a cache of 127 writing tablets. Known collectively as the Sulpicit Archive, the documents record a series of commercial transactions that took place in the port of Putcoli (modern Pozzuoli), just across the Bay of Naples, between a.p. 26 and 61 Three names pervade the texts—Caius. Sulpici Foustus, Caius Sulpicius Cinnamus, and Caius Sulpicius Onirus. Faustus and Onirus may have been related; Cinnamus isa former slave of Faustus, and, as { was the custom, took the first name and family name of his former master. ‘The Sulpicii were bankers and money lenders. They also served as archivists for their clients and business associ« ates, thereby functioning as interme- diaries in numerous transactions. In addition to the Sulpieii_and other Roman citizens, the Murecine tablets refer to Greeks and Egyptians who had business in Ttaly. Each of the documents —primarily payment orders, IOUs, and receipts— is composed of two or three tablets, each measuring approximately six by five inches. Several tablets, however, appear to be connected with a series of lawsuits, either initiated by the Sulpicii or lodged against them. Other documents concern commercial loans. The guarantees for such loans were primarily material—pledges of goods or slaves—but some Toans were co-signed, that is, a debt would be backed by friend, relative, or business associate. I the debtor failed to pay his debt by the due date, the creditor was entitled to auction the pledged goods to recover the amount of the debt Imperial slaves, as well as freedmen, played a signif cant role in the Roman administration, some becoming well off or even rich. What is clear in the tablets of Murecine, is that several of them had business interests in Puteolt. They are cited as lending money either to the Sulpicié or to traders operating in the ancient port ‘What is not clear is how the documents wound up in Pompeii. All were drafted in Puteoli and appear to have been brought to Pompeii following an earthquake ina. 62 wwwarchaeology.org Photograph and transeription of tablet number 51 The first of the documents that follow illustrates a Joan for goods and the involvement of slaves in the trans- actions; the second records a loan to a woman, TABLET NUMBER 51 Acknowledgement signed by Cains Novius Eunus fora debt of 10,000 sesterces, in Puteoi, on the 14th day before the eal- ends of July, under the consuls Proculus and Nigrinus (June 18, ap. 37]. Under the consuls Cnaeus Acenonins Proculus «and Caius Petronius Nigrinus, om the 14th day before the cal- cenuds of July. 1, Cais Novius Eunus, 1 uerote that, asa loan, I hal received from. Tiberius Julius venus Primianus, a freeman of Emperor Tiberius, in his absence and through his slave Hesychus, 10,000 sesterces, which T owe him and | will give him hack whenever he will ask ame. Of these 10,000 sesterees which are uitten abowe, Hesychus, slave of Evemus Primianus the emperor’ freedman, has puted that he wes the ereditor; and Cains Novius Eunus, I promised 10 give them back. As « pledge for those 10,000 sesterces, 1 give about 7,000 madi [61.250 liters} of Alewndrian wheat «ned about 4,000 medi [35,000 liters] of chickpeas, emmer wheat, lentils, and amonocore, int 200 sacks, which I possess hich are deposited in the public store houses of the city of Puteoli, culled Bassiani Storehouses, and are at my own risk. Written in Puteol. “Tanuer eamer 60 Accounts of Titinia Anthracis. Paid ont 0 Euplia of Milo, daughter of Theodorus, 1,600 sesteres, with the authority of hhor tutor, Epicheres of ‘Athens, son of Aphredisins. She requested and received that money in cash from the chest at thecraltors home. Received money, from the chest 1,600 ses terces, Ashe ws questioned by Tatnna Anthracis, Epichares of Athens, son of Aphralisins, declared that, om behalf of Explia of Milo, daughter of Theodorus, he world stand surety for the reparment of those 1,600 sesteres, wich are writen abowe. On the 13th day before the ealends of April, under the consuls Sextus Palpellius Hister and Lucius Podanius Secundus (March 20, 0.0. 43] JEAN ANDHEAU of the Beole des Hautes Etudes, Pars, isthe ‘author of the 1999 volume, Banking and Business in the Roman World, 310 n.c.-a.n. 284 cE ———The luxury inn of Agro Murecine, plan below, and an adjacent building complex, were among the ancient remains uncovered during construction ofthe Naples- Pompeii-Salerno Highway.warm arehavology.org (continue from pase 20) of broadening the thoroughfare, which is tra- versed by some 300,000 vehicles dail four lanes to six. As we reported last summer (see Ancaotocy, July/August 2000, pp. 14-15), archaeologists Salvatore Ciro. Nappo Mm and Antonio De Simone uncovered a large Kitchen with a 12-footlong counter for food | preparation, Stacked upon it were more than from 100 rectangular slabs of white Carrara marble destined for the inn’s hath complex, which was tunder renovation. Excavators also uncovered the skeletal remains of five people who perished in the eruption of Vesuvius—three young men, a boy, and a young woman. ‘The bones, howev cer, were fragmentary, the bodies having been blown apart by the volcanos pyroclastic blast. Archaeologists also found footprints of sev ral individuals preserved in the upper levels of the ash within the bath complex. Although the media, inchiding ARcHasoLoGy, reported that these might have been made by people who visited the inn in the weeks following the eruption, possibly to loot it, the footprints actually date to an eruption in &.0. 472. In the months since ARcnatoLoGy’ inital report, the frescoes have been carefully moved to. laboratory in Pompeii where they are being conserved and restored, and more finds have come to light, including the remains of a sec- cond, more modest building complex. some 1,050 square feet in area and 500 feet to the west of the inn, Within it, archacologists uncovered two pairs of shoes with wooden soles and the remains of a couple—an older man and a young woman 14 to 16 years of age at the time of death. The Italian press had erro- neously reported the two were found embrac- ing, The young woman was, however, found ‘wearing two gold rings and a one-pound gold bracelet in the shape of a serpent, which had a diamond eye and bore the inscription Donnas Suae Ancillae, or “Lord to his handmaiden (slave).” Near her bones, archaeologists found traces of woven metal, possibly the remains of a mesh bag, and a scattering of coins, some ig t0 the reign of Augustus (31 me. . These coins, says De Simone, may have been her savings. Significant portions of the newly discovered dining rooms and a large reception room, which have yet to be excavat ed, lie beneath the highway. m Juorr Hanes is the author of a forthcoming book, Glory and Plunder: The Second Life of B Ancient Pompeii, which chronicles the excava tion of the Roman resort. ANGELA MLH. Scuwsten is Senior Euitor of ARCHAEOLOGX. 5