A Rare Artifact from Egypt Found at Excavations in Pompeii 0 23

The residents of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, used a rare resin called elemi in their rituals, which was previously thought to be used only for mummification in Egypt. The relevant research findings were published in the journal Antiquity.

"This is the first case where we have found this resin in the context of Rome," noted the study's leader, archaeologist Johannes Eber from the University of Zurich.

Researchers examined the contents of two incense burners that survived the eruption of Vesuvius and were found in 1954 and 1986. One vessel contained charred oak and laurel, which were associated with the gods Jupiter and Apollo and were presumably used in rituals in their honor, while the other contained traces of grapes and elemi resin.

According to Eber, elemi is harvested from a tree of the same family as frankincense, but it grows not in the Mediterranean but in India or the tropical forests of Africa. The archaeologist suggested that the find confirms the extensive trade connections of Pompeii with other continents.