Financial Gazette
  • Science
  • Global

Sacrifice before the cataclysm: The aromas of Pompeii's household altars

  • March 30, 2026 at 3:20 PM
  • 76 views
Sacrifice before the cataclysm: The aromas of Pompeii's household altars
The destruction of Pompeii preserved ash residues on the household altars of its inhabitants. An international research team has scientifically investigated for the first time what was burned in Roman incense burners from Pompeii—and discovered something surprising: In addition to native plants, the people used imported aromatic substances from Africa or Asia. This indicates that Pompeii was part of a global trade network.

Originally published at Phys.org

Share: