After lying hidden under meters of volcanic rock and ash for 2,000 years, a “once in a century” discovery has been made in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.
Archaeologists discovered a lavish private bathhouse – potentially the largest ever found there – complete with warm, hot and cold rooms, exquisite artwork and a huge swimming pool.
The spa-like complex is at the center of a grand residence discovered over the past two years during major excavations.
“It is these spaces that are part of the ‘Pompeii effect’ – almost as if people left just a minute ago,” says Dr. Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, who revealed the new discovery exclusively to BBC News.
Analysis of two skeletons discovered in the house also shows the horror Pompeii’s residents faced when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.
The bodies belonged to a woman, aged between 35 and 50, who was holding jewelry and coins, and a younger man in his teens or early 20s.
They barricaded themselves in a small room, but were killed when a tsunami of superheated volcanic gas and ash – known as a pyroclastic flow – swept through the city.
“This is a dramatic place and everything you find here tells you about the drama,” says Pompeii conservator Dr. Ludovico Alessa.
A third of the ancient city still lies hidden under volcanic debris from the disaster, but new excavations – the most extensive in a generation – are providing new insights into the lives of ancient Romans.
The archaeologists were followed by a BBC and Lion TV documentary crew for a series entitled Pompeii: New Excavation.
An entire block of Pompeii has now been uncovered, revealing a laundry and bakery, as well as a large private house. They are all thought to have been owned by one wealthy person, probably Aulus Rustius Verus, an influential politician from Pompeii.
The discovery of the bathhouse is an additional confirmation of its elite status, says dr. Zuchtriegel.
“There are only a few houses that have a private bath complex, so it was really something for the richest of the rich,” he says. “And this is so huge – it’s probably the largest bath complex in a private house in Pompeii.”
Those lucky enough to use the baths would undress in a changing room with vivid red walls and a mosaic floor dotted with geometric patterns inlaid in marble from across the Roman Empire.
Then they would go into the warm room, bathe in the tub, and enjoy the sauna-like warmth provided by the suspended floor that allowed the hot air to flow underneath and the hollow walls through which the heat could circulate.
They would then move into a brightly painted warm room, where the oil would be rubbed into the skin, before being scraped off with a curved instrument called a strigil.
At the end, they would enter the largest and most spectacular room of all – the frigidarium or cold room. Surrounded by red columns and frescoes of athletes, the visitor could cool off in the pool, which is large enough to fit 20-30 people.
“During hot summers, you can sit with your feet in the water, talk with friends, maybe enjoy a cup of wine,” says Dr. Zuchtriegel.
The bathroom is the latest discovery that came out of this extraordinary house.
A huge banquet hall with black walls and beautiful artwork of classical scenes was found last year. A smaller, more intimate room – painted pale blue – was also discovered where the residents of the house went and prayed to the gods.
The residence was in the middle of renovations – tools and construction materials were found everywhere. In the blue room, a pile of oyster shells lie on the floor, ready to be ground up and applied to the walls to give them an iridescent shimmer.
Next to this beautiful space, in a cramped room with hardly any decorations, a terrible discovery was made – the remains of two Pompeians who did not manage to escape the eruption.
The skeleton of a woman was found lying on top of the bed, curled up in the fetal position. In the corner of this small room was the body of a man.
“The pyroclastic flow from Mount Vesuvius came down the street right outside this room and caused the wall to collapse, which actually crushed him to death,” explains Dr. Sophie Hay, archaeologist at Pompeii.
“The woman was still alive while he was dying – imagine the trauma – and then this room filled with the rest of the pyroclastic flow, and that’s how she died.”
Analysis of the male skeleton showed that despite his youth, his bones showed signs of wear and tear, suggesting he was of lower status, perhaps even a slave.
The woman was older, but her bones and teeth were in good condition.
“She was probably someone in a higher position in society,” says dr. Hey. “She could have been the wife of the owner of the house – or maybe a maid who took care of the woman, we just don’t know.”
Various items were found on the marble table top in the room – glassware, bronze jugs and pottery – perhaps brought into the room where the couple had hunkered down hoping to wait out the eruption.
But the objects that the victims held were of special interest. The younger man held the keys, while gold and silver coins and jewelry were found with the older woman.
They are kept in the vault of Pompeii, together with other priceless finds of the city, and we had the opportunity to see them with the archaeologist, dr. Alessandro Russo.
The gold pieces still shine like new, and he shows us delicate gold and natural pearl earrings, necklace pendants and intricately engraved semi-precious stones.
“When we find this kind of object, the distance between ancient times and modern times disappears,” says Dr. Russo, “and we can touch a little piece of the lives of these people who died in the eruption.”
Dr. Sophie Hay describes the private bath complex as a once-in-a-century discovery that also sheds more light on the darker side of Roman life.
Right behind the warm room is the boiler room. The pipe brought water from the street – part of it was siphoned into the cold pool – and the rest was heated in a lead boiler intended for a warm room. The flow control valves look so modern that you can still turn them on and off today.
With the furnace below, the conditions in this room would have been unbearably hot for the slaves who had to maintain the entire system.
“The most powerful thing about these excavations is the sharp contrast between the lives of slaves and the very, very rich. And here we see it,” says Dr. Sophie Hay.
“The difference between the luxurious life of the baths, compared to the firehouse, where slaves would stoke the fire by toiling all day.
“A wall is all that can divide you between two different worlds.”
The excavation is in its final weeks – but new discoveries continue to emerge from the ashes. A limited number of visitors are allowed to visit the excavations while they are in progress, but eventually they will be fully open to the public.
“Every day is a surprise here,” says dr. Anna Onesti, excavation manager.
“Sometimes I come to work in the morning thinking it’s a normal working day – and then I discover we’ve found something extraordinary.
“This is a magical moment in the life of Pompeii, and this excavation offers us the opportunity to share it with the public.”
