The blast ofMount Vesuviusin 79 CE broughtdeath and destructionto the metropolis ofPompeiiand its dweller , although the catastrophe did at least put the local slaves out of their deathly misery . Buried in ash tree , these ancient servants and their account have been lost to chronicle for two millennia , although the mining of a remarkably well - preserved slave room has finally shed light on their meagerly existence .
harbinger the fascinating find , the Archaeological Park of Pompeii ’s director general Gabriel Zuchtriegelexplainedthat the chamber provides “ a window into the touch-and-go reality of people who rarely seem in diachronic sources , written almost alone by men belonging to the elite . ”
The room was unearthed in a Francisco Villa within the suburban compound of Civita Giuliana , some 700 meters ( 2,300 foot ) north of the urban center itself . to begin with this twelvemonth , excavators stumbled upon the remains of aceremonial chariotand three horses in a nearby stable , and the denizen of the fresh discovered striver one-quarter are probable to have been charged with take care of the fomite and beast .
This speculation is backed up by the presence of a wooden cabinet containing fabric and metal object that seem to be part of the horses ’ harnesses , as well as a chariot shaft shore up against one of the beds .
Measuring just 16 straightforward meters ( 170 square feet ) , the way contain three rudimentary beds made of wooden plank that can be adjusted harmonise to the height of the user . Two of these beds appraise 1.7 meters ( 5.58 groundwork ) in distance while the third was only 1.4 meters ( 4.6 human foot ) long , suggesting that the room may have been home to a slave fellowship of two adults and a child .
In addition to trapping the slaves , the pocket-sized chamber replicate as a store room , as evidenced by the presence of eight storage jars known as amphorae . archeologist also uncover a bedchamber pot that the slaves would have used to relieve themselves .
According to the Pompeii Archaeological Park , the room ’s exceptional state of preservation is down to the fact that it has remained encased in cinerite , a type of stone made from volcanic ash . While not all of the items in the slave quarter have survived , their embossment has remained entire , leave research worker to create plaster of Paris casts of these ancient objects , just like the more famous casts of the volcano ’s victims .
lamentably , plunderer have ransack much of Civita Giuliana over the years , and the park says that some items may have been stolen from this hard worker way before archaeologists had a hazard to excavate it . Regardless , Zuchtriegel identify the find as “ sure enough one of the most exciting discoveries during my living as an archeologist , even without the presence of great ‘ treasures ’ . ”
“ The reliable treasure here is the human experience , in this face of the most vulnerable fellow member of ancient society , to which this way is a unique testimony . ”
