In this episode of Things We Threw Away we discussed a Roman cradle from Herculaneum, how the object survived against all odds and what we can learn from it about the previous owners.

Image 1: Map of Italy, showing the location of Herculaneum, and a map of the archaeological excavation.

Herculaneum, an ancient Roman coastal settlement, was among the sites destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. It is located between the cities of Naples and Pompeii. For tourists, the archaeological park is easily accessible by train from Naples (https://www.eavsrl.it/la-storia/circumvesuviana/). It is a short walk downhill from the train station to the entrance.

A section of the ancient town remains buried beneath the modern city. Consequently, the true dimensions at the time of the eruption can only be estimated. However, the current consensus is that the town had roughly 4000 inhabitants, and they lived on around 20 hectares.

Unlike Pompeii, which was covered in ashes, Herculaneum is buried beneath a volcanic deposit of 16 to 30m (Herculaneum guidebook). Herculaneum was hit by pyroclastic clouds in surges, reaching temperatures of over 400 degrees Celsius and ca. 80 km/h. This caused thermal shock to living beings and carbonisation of organic substances.

“Excavations” started as early as the beginning of the 18th century. Someone was trying to dig a well and, by accident, stumbled across the buried town. More systematic excavations (of course, not to our standards today) began in 1738 with Charles III of Bourbon, who wanted to build a palace in Portici (https://the-past.com/feature/wooden-wonders-of-herculaneum/). It was not until 1904 that “an American archaeologist promoted an initiative to restart the excavations of Herculaneum”, but the Italian government did not support it. In 1924, Amedeo Maiuri became Superintendent of the Excavations and Antiquities of Campania and stepped in to protect the area.

The special circumstances in Herculaneum (and Pompeii) preserved many objects of various materials that, under different circumstances, could easily have been lost.

One of those items is a Roman cradle made of wood.

Image 2: Roman cradle from Herculaneum

The Roman cradle (Latin cunabulum) is almost perfectly preserved. Some pieces are missing here and there, but all in all it is in great shape.

Due to the fragile material, the object has undergone multiple restorations since its discovery. The current status shows the original elements put together, the wax and oil from previous restorations removed.

The cradle is made of oak wood and is one of 41 pieces of wooden furniture from Herculaneum (Mols, Wooden Furniture in Herculaneum, p.19). The cradle is rectangular in shape, composed of four vertical elements that are connected by three pieces on each side. The feet have been designed to incorporate a rocking mechanism. The base has six pieces, providing a stable surface for the mattress. It has a height of 46cm, is 50cm wide and ca. 80cm long (https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/ArchaeologicalProperty/1500903605). These dimensions are strikingly similar to modern baby cradles, and even the shape resembles cradles or bassinets that are still in use today.

Prior to the volcanic eruption, the wood was likely to have been of a high aesthetic value; however, it has now undergone carbonisation and blackening. Potential decorations are no longer visible.

Image 3: Screenshot of the 3D project

The cradle forms part of a current project that commenced the 3D scanning of objects and houses in Herculaneum to make them available online (https://ercolano.cultura.gov.it/gallery-3d/?lang=en). The project provides additional information and makes it possible to zoom in on details for further studies and analysis, even without seeing the item or house in person.

Image 4: Floor plan and photo of the house of Marcus Pilius Primigenius Granianus

One of the pieces of information known about the cradle is the provenance. While Herculaneum is undoubtedly the correct response, it is possible to locate it even further.

The cradle was found in the House of Marcus Pilius Primigenius Granianus, which was discovered in 1940. The map in Image 1 shows where we are located in the archaeological park. The house is connected directly to the House of the Gem and the House of the Telephus Relief.

Sidenote: the house names in Herculaneum, as well as Pompeii and Ostia Antica, derive from the artefacts and features found in the house, e.g. The House of Telephus has a relief which shows Telephus, son of Hercules, being healed by Achilles, or they are named after the assumed owner. However, this does not mean that the house had this name during antiquity.

Compared to other houses in the town, it is on the rather small side. It consists of nine rooms in total. Image 4 shows a floor plan as well as an image of what the house looks like now. Currently, it seems not accessible to the public.

According to Guidobaldi, the house was created by using the lower floor of the southern part of the House of the Gem (Herculaneum, Guidebook, p. 41). Rooms A to E were changed into residential rooms during the Roman Republic. From what we can reconstruct, room A was used as a triclinium, room B as a cubiculum, room C was an exedra, room D was another cubiculum, and room E was used as an oecus.

It appears that the last owner of the house made some recent changes before the eruption. The cradle and the human remains of seven skeletons were discovered in room C, the exedra.

Marcus Pilius Primigenius Granianus was most likely the final owner of the house. In one of the rooms, archaeologists discovered a bronze signet ring with his name engraved on it (see image 5). He most likely was a freedman who was once the servus communis of two masters, an M. Pilius and a Granius. Sadly, we do not know much about Marcus Pilius Primigenius Granianus.

However, we can assume, if he actually was the owner of the house, that he had a small family, including a baby and that he had enough money to redecorate his house.

Image 5: Picture of the owner’s ring

As mentioned above, the cradle was found together with seven skeletons. The infant’s remains were discovered inside the cradle, covered in a blanket. It appears that the people in the household, the exact relationships between the individuals are unknown (they are likely the owner of the house, his wife and other children and possibly slaves), were trying to find shelter from what was happening around them during the eruption of the volcano.

What can we learn from this object?

* Provenance (and provenience): the artefact is well-documented, including its exact location of discovery in 1940. Artefacts from sites like Herculaneum demonstrate the importance of context and findspot because only then are we able to draw conclusions that have sustenance

* Material: thanks to scientific research regarding the object, we know that the cradle was made of oak wood

* Familiarity: due to the shape and structure of the object, it looks familiar to us. The shape of a cradle/bassinet has not remained relatively unchanged in almost 2000 years.

* Child soothing: The cradle has a rocking mechanism, one that is still built into cradles today. This suggests that the Romans were aware of the efficacy of rocking as a method of inducing sleep in children.

It is striking how an object that we think of as an artefact from the past can be so familiar to us. It makes it possible for us as visitors to connect with the people in Herculaneum, especially the family in the house who care enough about their child to build/purchase a nice bed to sleep in and cover it in blankets to be warm and comfortable.

Bibliography

* M. P. Guidobaldi, Herculaneum - Guide to the excavations. 2013.

* S. T. A. M. Mols. Wooden Furniture in Herculaneum. 2020. Available online: https://brill.com/display/title/13559

Useful links:

* The Herculaneum Society:

https://herculaneum.classics.ox.ac.uk/

* Herculaneum in Pictures, House of Marcus Pilius Primigenius Granianus https://herculaneuminpictures.com/Ins%20Or%201/Herculaneum%20Ins%20Or%201%2001a.htm

* Herculaneum Conservation Project: https://ercolano.cultura.gov.it/herculaneum-conservation-project/?lang=en

* Herculaneum 3D: https://ercolano.cultura.gov.it/herculaneum-3d-scan/?lang=en

* Catagolo Generale dei Beni Culturali: https://catalogo.beniculturali.it/detail/ArchaeologicalProperty/1500903605

* The Past: https://the-past.com/feature/wooden-wonders-of-herculaneum/

For more information on Roman naming conventions, please check out the episode of the Partial Historian Podcast (https://partialhistorians.com/2024/01/04/special-episode-roman-naming-conventions/)

Image Credits

* Image 1: screenshot of map of Italy taken from Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/place/Herculaneum; map of the excavations in Herculaneum, taken from Foodie Explorers: https://www.foodieexplorers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Plan-Herculaneum.jpg

* Image 2: Cradle, taken from Please don’t touch the dinosaurs: https://donttouchthedinosaurs.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/british-museum-review-pompeii-and-herculaneum/

* Image 3: Screenshot of cradle in 3D project, taken from: https://ercolano.cultura.gov.it/gallery-3d/?lang=en with the search “culla”

* Image 4: floor plan taken from Herculaneum Guide book, p.41; photography of the house, taken from Herculaneum in Pictures: https://herculaneum.uk/Ins%20Or%201/Herculaneum%20Ins%20Or%201%2001a.htm

* Image 5: ring with owner’s name, taken from Herculaenum in Pictures: https://herculaneum.uk/Ins%20Or%201/Herculaneum%20Ins%20Or%201%2001a.htm

Things We Threw Away – Where to Find the Podcast

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Credits

* Intro and outro music: “Meeting for Two – Background Music for Video Vlog (Hip Hop version, 43s)” via Pixabay Music by White_Records

* Story interlude/underlying music: “Medieval Ambient” via Pixabay Music by DeusLower

* Research behind the script: Jona Schlegel

* Editing and post-production: Jona Schlegel

* Cover art: Stefanie Ulrich

Projects by the team members

Jona Schlegel

* Follow on Instagram (@archaeoink): Visual science communication through illustration, websites and archaeology

* jonaschlegel.com: Portfolio and background on archaeological communication, coding, and design

* archaeoink.com: Illustrated archaeology, blog posts, newsletter, and research-based visual storytelling

* pastforwardhub.com: A platform for (freelance) archaeologists who want to create a more sustainable career, be visible, and connect with others

Stefanie Ulrich

* Follow on Instagram (@thepublicarchaeologist): Photography of archaeological objects, and material encounters with a special focus on ancient Rome

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