The small slave room has three beds, a pottery pot, and a wooden chest.
Pompeii archaeologists announced Saturday that they found the remains of a slave room in a Roman villa destroyed by Mount Vesuvius' eruption almost 2,000 years ago.
The small room, which contained three beds and a ceramic pot, was found during a dig at Villa of Civita Giuliana. It is a suburb villa located just a few hundred meters from the main ancient city.
At the beginning of the year, a nearly intact ornate Roman Chariot was found here. Archaeologists believe that slaves were likely to have been living in the room.
"This is a window into precarious realities of people who seldom appear in historical sources written almost exclusively by men from the elite," stated Pompeii's director General Gabriel Zuchtriegel.
He stated in a press release that the "unique testimony" of how the "weakest in ancient society lived...is certainly one the most exciting discoveries I have made in my life as a archaeologist."
Pompeii was killed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. They were either crushed or burned by heat shock.
"Rare insight"
The 16-square-metre (170-square feet), room was a mix of a bedroom, a storeroom, and a bedroom. There were three beds, one of which was child-sized. Eight amphorae were hidden in a corner.
The 16-square-metre (170-square feet), room was a mix of a bedroom, a storeroom, and a bedroom.
A wooden chest contained metal and fabric items that were likely to have been part of the harnesses for the chariot horses. One of the beds also had a chariot shaft.
Three horses' remains were discovered in the stable of a dig in early this year.
The Pompeii archaeological site stated that the room gives us an unusual insight into slave life because of its exceptional preservation.
Experts were able to create plaster casts of the beds, and other objects, in perishable materials. These imprints were left in the cineritethe volcanic ash rock that covered them.
Slave family'
These beds were made from several wooden planks that had been rough worked. They could be adjusted to suit the height of the user.
The webbed bases of the beds were made from ropes and covered with blankets.
The beds measured approximately 1.7m long and 1.4m respectively. It could have been a child's bed.
Two were approximately 1.7m long. One measured 1.4m. It may have been a child.
According to the archaeological park, the three slaves could have been members of a single family.
Archaeologists discovered several personal items under the beds. These included amphorae for private matters, ceramic jugs, and what could be a chamber container.
A small window in the upper corner lit the room. There are no wall decorations or traces, but there is a trace that may have been made by a lantern hanging on a wall.
This excavation is part of an initiative launched in 2017 to combat illegal activity in the region. It includes tunnel digging in order to access artifacts that could be sold on illegal markets.
For years, systematic looting had targeted the Villa of Civita Giuliana. The park stated that there was evidence that some of the "archaeological legacy" in the so-called Slave Room had been destroyed by looters.
It was estimated that the damage caused by grave robbers to the villa was almost two million euros ($2.3million).
Continue exploring Archeologists discover a intact ceremonial horse near Pompeii.
2021 AFP
