Mercury and Materialism

This chapter examines images of Mercury in relation to spaces of commerce in Pompeii in light of recent theorizations of material religion. Mercury was a familiar sight for Pompeian shoppers: he was frequently present in the shops, bars, restaurants, and markets of the Campanian city, especially on the façades next to the entrances of these properties. Against interpretations of these images as simply representational, the chapter argues that they played an important role in the mediation of Mercury as god of commerce in the quotidian lives of the inhabitants of the Campanian city.