A Two-Headed Snake Bracelet from One of the Most Elegant Houses in Pompeii Is Adorned with a Disc Depicting the Moon Goddess Luna/Selene, Wearing a Crescent Diadem and Surrounded by Seven Stars, Her Head Covered with a Crescent-Shaped Veil

The bracelet was so astonishing a find that the place where it was discovered came to be called the House of the Golden Bracelet. It was found on the arm of a woman who, apparently, had tried to escape the catastrophe by flight. Another fugitive was carrying caskets of gold and silver coins. Three more people, two adults and a child, had sought refuge in a cupboard in one of the cellar rooms of the sumptuous House of the Golden Bracelet.

The bracelet weighs 610 grams. If we convert this into gold coins, the aurei, of which 40 were found in the casket, then, since an aureus weighs 7.2 g and equalled a labourer's monthly wage, the bracelet on the arm of this wealthy lady had a gold weight corresponding to almost 7 years of an ordinary Pompeian's income. Naturally, the craftsmanship and rarity of the piece raised its value considerably.