Ufficio Stampa e Comunicazione MiC/Handout via REUTERS
- A bedroom "assigned to slaves" was discovered by archaeologists near Pompeii.
- The room at the Civita Giuliana villa sheds light on the living conditions of ancient Roman slaves.
- It showed "the precarious and unhygienic conditions in which the lower echelons of society lived."
Archaeologists discovered a small bedroom that was used by slaves in a dig near Pompeii, the Italian culture ministry said in a statement.
The team found the room during a dig at the Civita Giuliana Roman villa, located around 600 meters outside the walls of the famous city that was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.
The room contained two beds — only one of which had a mattress — basic cabinets, and containers that had the remains of rats and mice inside, the Italian culture ministry said, "details that underscore the precarious and unhygienic conditions in which the lower echelons of society lived."
The find also offered an insight into the social hierarchy in ancient Rome, as the culture ministry noted that there was no evidence of locks or shackles discovered in the room.
"It seems that control was established mainly through the internal organization of servitude, and not through barriers and physical constraints," Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Pompeii archaeological park, said.
Ufficio Stampa e Comunicazione MiC/Handout via REUTERS
The archaeologists were able to create a cast of the materials that were in the room when it was enveloped by the Vesuvius eruption, as things like fabrics and furniture that were covered in a cloud of volcanic ash decompose over the years, eventually leaving a void below the debris.
Filling this void with plaster unveils the original shape of the items that were in the room, as can be seen in the image released by the culture ministry, providing a vivid snapshot of life 2,000 years ago.
Archaeological activity has ramped up around Pompeii in recent years, largely thanks to a 105 million euro, or $114.4 million, funding boost.
Gennaro Sangiuliano, the Italian Minister of Culture, said the finds confirmed the need to continue research in the area.
"What we are learning about the material conditions and social organisation of that era opens up new horizons for historical and archaeological studies," he said.