While today, valuables are kept secure in bank
vaults, during the Roman era, it was incumbent
upon the individual household to protect their
own riches. For this purpose, an entire retinue of
chests, boxes, and caskets once existed. Primary
among them in importance, was the arca or
household safe. This heavy chest would have
contained money and other precious items such
as jewelry, glassware, and rare and exotic oils,
perfumes, and unguents. Occasionally chained to
the floor, this safe was typically kept inside the
tablinum or master’s office, where the head of
the household conducted business and received
guests. Other types of containers are also
known, including the capsa which was typically
used by school boys for transporting books. In
cases when important books or scrolls were
contained within, a capsa would have been fitted
with a lock and key. A pyxis was a small jewelry
casket which may have also contained anything
else small and valuable such as toiletries, coins,
or keys. As with most household items, the
chest themselves would have been fabricated in
a variety of materials, some more durable and
secure, others more ornamental and decorative,
that would have appealed to different tastes and
incomes. Very few extant chests remain today, a
few bronze chests are known, and some smaller
silver boxes also exist as do a few ivory caskets
from the late period. Typically, they would have
been made of wood and furnished with metal
hinges, hasps, and locks that have, however,
survived more frequently. This geometric bronze
hasp that would have served as part of a locking
mechanism for a chest or casket used to hold
valuables, giving us a fascinating glimpse into
the domestic needs and concerns of wealthy
Roman households.
- (CK.0170)
|
