Room unearthed at Pompeii villa in Italy throws light on daily life of slaves

The 16 sq m room, containing three wooden beds and other objects, was discovered in Civita Giuliana

Two of the beds were 1.7m long while the third was just 1.4m, indicating the room might have been used by a small slave family

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A wooden bed inside the slave room at a Roman villa in Pompeii. Photo: Pompeii Archaeological Park/Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism/Reuters

Published: 9:27pm, 6 Nov 2021Updated: 9:26pm, 6 Nov 2021

Archaeologists have uncovered a room at a villa just outside Pompeii containing beds and other objects that shed light on the living conditions of slaves in the ancient Roman city buried by a volcanic eruption.

The room, in an excellent state of preservation, contains three wooden beds and a series of other objects including amphorae, ceramic pitchers and a chamber pot.

“This new important discovery enriches our understanding of the everyday life of the ancient Pompeians, especially that class in society about which little is still known,” Italy’s Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said.

The room contains three wooden beds and a series of other objects. Photo: Pompeii Archaeological Park/AFP

Under Roman law slaves were considered property and had no legal personhood.

The “slaves’ room” is close to where a ceremonial carriage was uncovered earlier this year, near the stables of an ancient villa at Civita Giuliana, some 700 metres north of the walls of ancient Pompeii.