Ancient Rome’s Pompeii ‘prison bakery’ uncovered, ‘most shocking’ example of slavery
- ‘A cramped room with no view of the outside world’ where slaves and blindfolded donkeys ground grain for bread was found in the ancient Roman city
- Three skeletons were found in one room of the bakery, indicating that the house in Pompeii was inhabited
Archaeologists excavating the ancient Roman city of Pompeii have uncovered a “prison bakery” where slaves and blindfolded donkeys were kept locked up underground to grind grain for bread, officials said this week.
Underneath a house in the ruins they found “a cramped room with no view of the outside world and with small windows high in the wall, with iron bars, to let the light in”, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii announced on Friday.
They also discovered “indentations” in the floor “to coordinate the movement of the animals, forced to walk around for hours, blindfolded”.
The house, on the 44-hectare site that is currently under excavation, was divided into a residential area “decorated with exquisite Fourth Style frescoes” and a “productive quarter”, the bakery.
Three skeletons were discovered in one room of the bakery, showing that the house was inhabited.