The exceptionally well-preserved room in Civita Giuliana, a suburban Roman villa in the ancient city of Pompeii, contains three beds, a chamber pot, amphorae, and other items.
The well-preserved ‘slaves’ room’ discovered in Villa Giuliana near the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, Italy. Image credit: Parco Archeologico di Pompei / Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism.
“This is a window into the precarious reality of people who seldom appear in historical sources that were written almost exclusively by men belonging to the elite, and who as a result risk remaining invisible in the great historical accounts,” Dr. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Parco Archeologico di Pompei, said in a statement.
“It is a case in which archaeology helps us to discover a part of the ancient world which we would otherwise know little about, but which is nonetheless extremely important.”
“What is most striking is the cramped and precarious nature of this room, which was something between a dormitory and a storage room of just 16 m2, which we can now reconstruct thanks to the exceptional state of preservation created by the famous eruption of 79 CE of Mount Vesuvius.”
“It is certainly one of the most exciting discoveries during my life as an archaeologist, even without the presence of great ‘treasures’ — the true treasure here is the human experience, in this case of the most vulnerable members of ancient society, to which this room is a unique testimony.”
The ‘slaves’ room’ in Villa Giuliana, Pompeii, Italy. Image credit: Parco Archeologico di Pompei / Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism.
In the ‘slaves’ room,’ the archaeologists found three wooden beds; a wooden chest containing metal and fabric objects, which appear to be parts of the horse harnesses; and a chariot shaft.
Two of the beds are about 1.7 m (5.6 feet) long; the third bed measures just 1.4 m (4.6 feet) and may have belonged to a young man or child.
The beds are made of several roughly worked wooden planks which could be adjusted; the webbed bases of the beds were made of ropes, the imprints of which are partially discernible, and above which fabric blankets were placed.
The team also found several personal objects under the beds, including amphorae, ceramic jugs, and a chamber pot.
The room was likely also used for storage and was lit by a small upper window.
“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 Dr. Massimo Osanna, director general of all Italian museums.
“This incredible new discovery at Pompeii demonstrates that today the archaeological site has become not only one of the most desirable visitor destinations in the world, but also a place where research is carried out and new and experimental technologies are employed,” said Dario Franceschini, Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage, Cultural Activities and Tourism.
“Thanks to this important new discovery, our knowledge of the daily life of ancient Pompeians has been enriched, particularly of that element of society about which little is known even today.”
“Pompeii is a model of study that is unique in the world.”
