January 6, 2009
“One of the finds at Pompeii is the treasury of silver found at Menander’s home. Buried with the rest of the area after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, the silver and other objects were covered with the lava and volcanic ash that killed Pompeii’s inhabitants.
The ash and lava preserved the site, giving scientists and scholars a look into how people lived during that time, sometimes causing them to rethink what they thought they knew about the people and place.”
When Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year 79 AD, the poisonous gas, volcanic ash and debris killed the unsuspecting inhabitants of this summer retreat for the wealthy and powerful elite of Ancient Rome.
This volcanic eruption also preserved much of Pompeii, giving us a glimpse into how the other half of ancient Rome lived.
Menander, a man who is believed to be a playwright who owned a house in Pompeii, left behind a large amount to silver jewelry and other silver objects. This was so much silver in fact that his home is known as the Silver Treasury. This is interesting because certainly other residents of Pompeii had silver objects—there was a wealth of beautiful things found in Pompeii. So to call Menander’s home the Silver Treasury means that the concentration of silver in his home was high indeed.
If the pieces of silver that were found at Menander’s home as the city of Pompeii was being excavated are any indication, Menander was a wealthy man indeed. Pompeii was where he had his summer home. Who knows just how much silver was in Menander’s regular residence? It is possible that he and his family took all of the silver when they went to Pompeii for the summer. Or they may have left some of the silver at their regular home, thinking it unnecessary to take their entire silver treasury to Pompeii.
Those who were on the dig at Pompeii found silver jewelry, silver coins, including silver denarii, a type of coin that is mentioned in the Bible and 118 pieces of some rather exquisite silver plate. In addition to this they also found jewelry made of gold mixed with precious stones. Some of the silver jewelry and other silver objects from Menander’s home can be viewed as part of a traveling exhibit about Pompeii that is touring museums all over the country.
Obviously, Menander and his family had no choice but to leave their treasures to be discovered by the ages because they were victims of a terrible tragedy.
You, however, do have a choice. Menander’s treasury of silver was found wrapped up in the cellar. Is that where your silver is? Is it wrapped up in the basement or in the attic? Is it in a place where it cannot be used and where no one will see it?
If that is the case, why not sell your silver to a silver buyer? When you sell silver, you can get cash for silver, which is something you can most certainly use right now.