Archaeologists in Pompeii announced on Saturday that they had unearthed the remains of a “slave chamber”, an exceptionally rare find in a Roman villa destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago. The small bedroom, which houses three beds, one of which is the size of a child, eight amphorae, a ceramic pot and a wooden chest, was discovered during excavations in a villa in Civita Giuliana, a district located a few steps hundreds of meters north of the Pompeii archaeological park, buried in AD 79. It was there that a large ceremonial float was discovered at the start of the year, in excellent condition.
According to archaeologists, the room was probably occupied by slaves in charge of maintaining the tank. “It is a window on the precarious reality of these people who rarely appear in historical sources, written almost exclusively by men belonging to the elite”, observed the director general of the archaeological site of Pompeii, Gabriel Zuchtriegel. This “unique testimony” on how “the weakest of ancient society lived (…) is certainly one of the most exciting discoveries of my life as an archaeologist,” he added in a press release. .
A glimpse into the daily reality of slaves
The 16 m2 room was located between a bedroom and a storage room. The wooden chest contained metal and fabric objects that appear to be part of the harnesses of the horses pulling the chariot. A tank axis was also found on one of the beds. The tank had been discovered in a porch in front of a stable where, already in 2018, the remains of 3 equines had been found.
“This room, thanks to its exceptional state of conservation, offers us a rare glimpse of the daily reality of slaves”, underlines the archaeological park. The beds are made of several roughly worked wooden planks, which could be adjusted to suit its occupant, and their webbed feet were made of ropes covered with blankets. Two beds were 1.70 m long and the third was 1.40 m long. According to the park authorities, the three slaves may have formed a family.
Under the beds, personal items were found, including amphorae and what could be a chamber pot. The room was lit by a small upper window. There are no traces of wall decorations, just a mark possibly left by a lantern. The excavations were carried out as part of a program to fight against grave robbers, particularly active in this area of Italy, full of archaeological treasures yet to be discovered. Civita Giuliana’s villa has been the target of systematic looting for years, and it appears that part of the “archaeological heritage” of the “slave room” has been stolen by looters, according to the archaeological park.