Perhaps this small room in Pompeii contained the entire family of slaves

The new findings show the dramatic differences between the rich and the poor in ancient Pompeii.

700 meters outside the ancient city of Pompeii in Italy, parts of the villa have been exposed.

Together with Pompey, the villa was buried in ashes in AD 79. When the volcano Vesuvius erupted.

Archaeologists have been excavating the villa since 2017. Now they have discovered a new room.

Perhaps it was the miserable little room chasing the slaves working in the villa.

three beds

In the room there were three beds. The length of two of them was 1.70 meters. The latter was smaller and probably belonged to a child. Perhaps there was a family living here.

The room is located next to the stable where the remains of three horses that died during the volcanic eruption were found.

Archaeologists also found a luxurious chariot nearby. It is decorated with ornaments and ovals that may have been used during celebrations and parades, according to a previous article In Ars Technica.

In the slave room, a part for a cart on one bed and more horse equipment were found in a wooden chest. Thus they may have, among other things, work assignments related to horses.

crowded room

“This is a window into the perilous reality of people who rarely appear in historical sources written almost exclusively by elite men,” says Director Gabriel Zustregel, Director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park at Press release.

It is a case in which archeology helps us discover a part of the ancient world about which we knew very little, but which is still very important.

Zuchtriegel notes that the room was cramped and appeared to be a cross between a room and a storage room.

The room was 16 square meters. There were vases and pots in one of the corners that were used for storage.

Two bodies were previously found in the villa

A few personal items were found under the beds: room utensils that served as latrines, bowls, and jugs.

The room contrasts with the beautiful and decorated rooms of the wealthy rooms of Pompeii. Watch an animation of what the house of financier Caecilius Iucundus looked like inside.

Archaeologists previously found two men in the same villa where a new room has now been excavated. Researchers believe that one of them may have been a slave, based on the clothing and skeleton wearing. The other believed that he was a wealthy man and may have been the master of the house.

not finished

Archaeologists have not yet finished excavations in the areas that were buried under the ashes in 79AD.

In 2018, human remains were found attesting to a dramatic escape when ash and boulders rained down on Pompeii. A man may have tried to escape, but was shot in the head and killed by a large stone.