Pompeii archaeologists find Ikea-like extendable beds in rare 'slave room' discovery that gives fascinating insight into daily lives of 'little known' part of ancient city's society
- Archaeologists in a Civita Giuliana, Pompeii villa found an ancient 'slave room'
- The fascinating find included Ikea-like extendable beds which can adjust to size
- The important discovery gives insight into a 'little known' part of ancient society
Archaeologists in Pompeii have discovered a room that officials say offers 'a very rare insight into the daily life of slaves' in the ancient Roman city.
The excavation of a villa in the ruins of the historic volcanic eruption revealed a cramped dormitory and storage room with adjustable Ikea-like beds.
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 of which 'still little' is known.
The villa in the Pompeii suburb of Civita Giuliana has a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea on the outskirts of the ancient Roman city
The site is considered one of the most significant recent finds at Pompeii
The room was discovered in a villa in the Pompeii suburb of Civita Giuliana, just a few steps from where archaeologists in January discovered the remains of a well-preserved ceremonial chariot.
The room, with just one high window and no wall decorations, contains the remains of three beds made out of wood.
Italian press reports likened the ancient finds to 'an Ikea model for the ancient world' because of the adjustable wooden planks which could be changed depending on the size of the person sleeping in the bed, according to The Telegraph.
The adaptable beds, two of which measured nearly six feet and one just over four feet, possibly indicate that a family with a child had lived there.
The excavation of a villa in the ruins of the historic volcanic eruption revealed a cramped dormitory and storage room
Officials said the discovered room offers 'a very rare insight into the daily life of slaves' in the ancient Roman city
Italy's culture minister said the find was of interest in particular because it tells us about 'the level of society' of which 'still little' is known
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii Archaeological Park said: 'We can imagine here the servants, the slaves who worked in this area and came to sleep here at night.
'We know that it was definitely a life in precarious conditions.'
Nearby to the beds, 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.
Chamber pots and other personal objects were under the beds, while eight amphorae, an ancient vessel used as a storage jar, were in a corner, suggesting storage for the household.
How Pompeii and Herculaneum were wiped off the map by devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius 2,000 years ago
What happened?
Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year AD 79, burying the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ashes and rock fragments, and the city of Herculaneum under a mudflow.
Mount Vesuvius, on the west coast of Italy, is the only active volcano in continental Europe and is thought to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
Every single resident died instantly when the southern Italian town was hit by a 500°C pyroclastic hot surge.
Pyroclastic flows are a dense collection of hot gas and volcanic materials that flow down the side of an erupting volcano at high speed.
They are more dangerous than lava because they travel faster, at speeds of around 450mph (700 km/h), and at temperatures of 1,000°C.
An administrator and poet called Pliny the younger watched the disaster unfold from a distance.
Letters describing what he saw were found in the 16th century.
His writing suggests that the eruption caught the residents of Pompeii unaware.
Mount Vesuvius erupted in the year AD 79, burying the cities of Pompeii, Oplontis, and Stabiae under ashes and rock fragments, and the city of Herculaneum under a mudflow
He said that a column of smoke 'like an umbrella pine' rose from the volcano and made the towns around it as black as night.
People ran for their lives with torches, screaming and some wept as rain of ash and pumice fell for several hours.
While the eruption lasted for around 24 hours, the first pyroclastic surges began at midnight, causing the volcano's column to collapse.
An avalanche of hot ash, rock and poisonous gas rushed down the side of the volcano at 124mph (199kph), burying victims and remnants of everyday life.
Hundreds of refugees sheltering in the vaulted arcades at the seaside in Herculaneum, clutching their jewelry and money, were killed instantly.
The Orto dei fuggiaschi (The garden of the Fugitives) shows the 13 bodies of victims who were buried by the ashes as they attempted to flee Pompeii during the 79 AD eruption of the Vesuvius volcano
As people fled Pompeii or hid in their homes, their bodies were covered by blankets of the surge.
While Pliny did not estimate how many people died, the event was said to be 'exceptional' and the number of deaths is thought to exceed 10,000.
What have they found?
This event ended the life of the cities but at the same time preserved them until rediscovery by archaeologists nearly 1700 years later.
The excavation of Pompeii, the industrial hub of the region and Herculaneum, a small beach resort, has given unparalleled insight into Roman life.
Archaeologists are continually uncovering more from the ash-covered city.
In May archaeologists uncovered an alleyway of grand houses, with balconies left mostly intact and still in their original hues.
A plaster cast of a dog, from the House of Orpheus, Pompeii, AD 79. Around 30,000 people are believed to have died in the chaos, with bodies still being discovered to this day
Some of the balconies even had amphorae - the conical-shaped terra cotta vases that were used to hold wine and oil in ancient Roman times.
The discovery has been hailed as a 'complete novelty' - and the Italian Culture Ministry hopes they can be restored and opened to the public.
Upper stores have seldom been found among the ruins of the ancient town, which was destroyed by an eruption of Vesuvius volcano and buried under up to six meters of ash and volcanic rubble.
Around 30,000 people are believed to have died in the chaos, with bodies still being discovered to this day.
Archaeologist Gabriel Zuchtriegel, pictured, in the room believed to have been inhabited by slaves
Mr Zuchtriegel said slaves during the historic era would have lived 'a life in precarious conditions'
The room was discovered just a few steps from where archaeologists in January discovered the remains of a well-preserved ceremonial chariot
The room, with just one high window and no wall decorations, contains the remains of three beds made out of wood
The villa, with a panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea on the outskirts of the ancient Roman city, is considered one of the most significant recent finds at Pompeii.
It was discovered after police came across illegal tunnels dug by alleged looters in 2017.
Archaeologists also have uncovered 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.
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2021-11-07 00:55:00Z
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