Daily Life/2
6.
The water supply in a mountain town like Veleia was tackled both from a hydraulic and urban planning perspective, with a focus on storing it. A large cistern was built to collect water, which was then distributed to public fountains, baths, and private homes. Among the artifacts found during the excavations are a circular marble basin, possibly used as a labrum, lead pipes (fistulae), and bronze fountain nozzles, one of which has an inscription commemorating its donation to the city by Herennius Cassianus (C. Herennius Cassianus Donum Dedit)
7.
In the area of a large public thermal complex from the early Imperial period, several items related to personal care and leisure activities were discovered. These include glass balsamari in different shapes, ear picks, cosmetic spatulas and tubes, tweezers, combs, and strigils—bronze crescent-shaped tools used by athletes to scrape oil off their skin. Several game pieces, used by the Romans for their entertainment between baths, have also been found: they are made from melted glass fragments and were popular from the Augustan period through the 2nd century AD. Numerous ornaments were also found, not only in the thermal area, such as rings with rubies and lapis lazuli, rings with keys, pins, bronze and bone belt buckles, and brooches (fibulae) ranging from the older Aucissa type (late 1st century BC–early 1st century AD) to those with a clasp (1st–4th centuries AD), some decorated with silver leaf arches. Protective amulets include phallic pendants and bullae, double-cased medallions containing charms worn by children until they reached adulthood (16/17 years old).
8.
Commercial activities, carried out in dedicated spaces within domus or public areas, are evidenced by weighing tools. Small, equal-arm balances were used to weigh coins, precious metals, cosmetics, or pharmaceutical preparations, with numbered or variously shaped weights. Larger scales, typically made from perishable materials, have surviving metal parts, such as four-pronged pins, which were likely fixed to a beam to limit the movement of the arm. Numerous metal rods from larger scales were also found, with a shorter loading arm that had suspension points for the instrument and hooks for hanging goods, while the longer, graduated part allowed the counterweight to slide. Among the tools found are a lead plumb line, several bronze styluses used to write on wax tablets, and the flat ends for erasing.
9.
Roman homes typically included a space for domestic worship, such as a small altar, a masonry shrine, or a wooden cabinet known as a lararium. In these spaces, the Penates and Lares—household and family protector spirits—were venerated, alongside major deities. Terracotta statuettes depicting a Lares (distinguished by a short tunic), Mercury, a Genius, and a sow, a typical sacrificial offering, were likely intended for this purpose. A small marble sculpture depicts several gods in a generic and repetitive manner, including Bacchus/Dionysus, Apollo, and Venus. Along with a draped female statue and small Corinthian marble capitals, these pieces likely adorned the furnishings of a wealthy Veleia home or garden (1st–2nd centuries AD).
10.
In 1760, in the northwest corner of Veleia’s forum, a room was discovered with the remains of two brightly colored painted walls. The best-preserved fragment was immediately removed and restored, reinforced with a plaster base. The painting depicts a wall with a dark red base, upon which a square pillar divides the space into black panels outlined with a white line. In the most preserved section, two fences made of yellow reed are shown, with three doors and two semicircular niches at the top, decorated with vases of various shapes and sizes. From the pergolas, human and animal figures are faintly visible, painted in white. Between the two enclosures, there is a large square basin with circular elements at the corners, from which water flows. The style suggests it dates to the 1st century AD and belongs to the so-called Pompeian Third Style.