Archeologists have discovered an “exceptionally well-preserved room” used by slaves who worked at Civita Guiliana, a suburban villa north of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.
The room offers an “extraordinary glimpse into a part of the ancient world that usually remains largely in the dark,” officials with the Archaeological Park of Pompeii said Saturday, adding that the latest finding “grants us a rare insight into the daily reality of slaves.”
Archeologists found three wooden beds and a wooden chest containing metal and fabric objects, which are believed to be part of harnesses for horses.
Personal objects were also found in the room, including ceramic jugs, a chamber pot and amphorae, which were used to store private possessions.
The room was lit by a small upper window and didn’t appear to feature any wall decorations, officials said.
Archeologists say that the room was used as a dormitory for a group of slaves — likely a small family, as a child-size bed suggests — and also as storage, as indicated by the “eight amphorae crammed into the corners.”
“We can imagine here the servants, the slaves who worked in this area and came to sleep here at night,? the park’s general director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, said. “We know that it was definitely a life in precarious conditions.”
The discovery is a “window into the precarious reality of people who seldom appear in historical sources,” which were almost exclusively written by wealthy men, according to Zuchtriegel.
For that reason, their history risks “remaining invisible in the great historical accounts,” he added.
“The study of this room, which will be enriched by the results of ongoing analyses, will allow us to uncover new and interesting information on the living conditions and lives of slaves at Pompeii and in the Roman world,” said Massimo Osanna, Italy’s director-general of museums.
In February, archeologists uncovered a four-wheel ceremonial chariot in the same area.
The “richly decorated” chariot was a vehicle used in ancient Rome “by the elites in ceremonial contexts,” the archaeological park said. It was not used for the transport of agricultural products or for daily activities.
Late last year, the remains of two men, who died while trying to escape an eruption of Mount Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago, were also discovered at Civitta Giuliana, on the outskirts of Pompeii.
Archaeologists believe that one of the bodies was of a wealthy Pompeian landowner, between the ages of 30 and 40. The other was likely his slave, between 18 and 23.
Located 14 miles southeast of Naples, the ancient city of Pompeii was home to about 13,000 people when it was destroyed by the most famous eruption of Mount Vesusius in 79 A.D.
