VIDEOArchaeologists have discovered a dormitory during excavations in the Italian city of Pompeii that offers a “rare insight into the daily life of slaves.” The space was found in a villa among the ruins of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79.
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Foreign editors
Latest update:
22:33
“We can imagine the slaves who worked in this area and came here to sleep,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park. “We know it was definitely a life in precarious conditions.”
The room, with only one high window and no wall decorations, contains the remains of three wooden beds. These were adjustable. Two beds were 1.7 meters, and one only 1.4 meters. This may indicate that this was a family with a child. Pots and personal objects were found under the beds.
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Near the beds is a wooden box containing metal objects and textiles that “appear to be parts of horse harness,” according to the archaeological park. A wooden steering element for a chariot was also found. In one corner of the room were eight amphorae – ancient pitchers, indicating that household goods were stored there.
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Important discovery
Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini, called the find “an important discovery that enriches the knowledge of the everyday life of the inhabitants of Pompeii, more specifically of a part of society about which little is known.”
The villa in which the room was found offers a panoramic view of the sea and is considered one of the most important recent discoveries in Pompeii. The building is located on the outskirts of the city and bears the name Villa dei Misteri. A year ago, archaeologists also found the remains of two people, believed to be a rich man and his male slave, who were ambushed by the volcanic ash while trying to flee.
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The ancient Roman city of Pompeii was hit in AD 79 by the eruption of the nearby volcano Vesuvius. A so-called pyroclastic flow buried the city. This is a kind of glow cloud consisting of waves of solid or semi-liquid lava, gas, rocks and ash. Much is known about the eruption through the eyewitness account of Pliny the Younger, who lived in the city at the time.
The city had about 20,000 inhabitants. Some 16,000 people are said to have died in Pompeii and nearby Herculaneum during the 79 eruption.
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