Archaeologists unearth remains of a rare 'slave room' in Pompeii

Archaeologists in Pompeii have unearthed the remains of a “slave room” at a Roman villa amid the ruins of the 79 A.D. volcanic eruption that destroyed the ancient city.

Officials have hailed the discovery of a cramped dormitory and storage room saying that it offers “a very rare insight into the daily life of slaves.”

The room was discovered inCivita Giuliana suburban villa, just a few hundred metres from the rest of the ancient city. Pompeii was destroyed by Mount Vesuvius’ eruption nearly 2,000 years ago.

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The room, with just one high window and no wall decorations, contains the remains of three beds made out of wood. The beds were adjustable, with two measuring 1.7 meters (nearly 5 feet, 7 inches) and one just 1.4 meters (4 feet, 7 inches), possibly indicating that a family with a child had lived there.

Nearby, a wooden chest contained metallic objects and textiles that “appear to be part of harnesses for horses,” according to the archaeological park. There also was a wooden steering element for a chariot.

“This is a window into the precarious reality of people who rarely appear in historical sources, written almost exclusively by men belonging to the elite,” said Pompeii’s director general Gabriel Zuchtriegel.

The “unique testimony” into how “the weakest in the ancient society lived ... is certainly one of the most exciting discoveries in my life as an archaeologist,” he said in a press release.

“We can imagine here the servants, the slaves who worked in this area and came to sleep here at night,'” news agency AP quoted Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii Archeological Park, as saying

“We know that it was definitely a life in precarious conditions,” he said.

Archaeologists also discovered the skeletal remains of two people, believed to have been a wealthy man and his male slave, who were stricken by volcanic ash attempting to escape death.

Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini, said the find was “an important discovery that enriches the knowledge of the daily life of ancient Pompeiians, in particular the level of society still little known.”

Pompeii, which was rediscovered in the 18th century, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Italy and repeatedly uncovers sensational finds.

(With inputs from agencies)