This is the latest discovery in the servile neighborhood of the villa of Civita Giuliana, scientifically investigated since 2017, when it was rescued from clandestine excavators thanks to an agreement between the Pompeii Archaeological Park and the Torre Annunziata Prosecutor’s Office: a room, exceptionally well-preserved like the other two discovered in the same sector with the slaves’ beds, where it was possible to make casts of furniture and other objects made of perishable materials: wood, fabrics, ropes.
The technique of making casts, systematically experimented with since 1863 with the creation of the first casts of the victims of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, is unique in the world as it is the result of the specific dynamics of the catastrophic event: people or objects dragged and covered by the “pyroclastic flow”, a burning cloud of ash and toxic gases, remained there for centuries.
But as the ash solidified, forming a very solid layer known as “cinerite”, the organic matter, like human bodies, animals, or wooden objects, decomposed, leaving a void in the ground.
These voids can be filled with plaster during excavation, to recover, from the “negative” imprint, the original shape. This technique has yielded extraordinary results in the villa of Civita Giuliana, from the casts of two victims and a horse to those of the modest beds in the servile quarters.
Now, another room expands the cross-section of the lives of the underprivileged, little documented in literary sources. The room contains a bed, as well as work tools and what appears to be a frame, perhaps of another bed, disassembled: baskets, a long rope, pieces of wood, and a saw with a blade, which does not seem very different from traditional saws used until recently, are also recognized. Even a piece of rope has been identified as an imprint in the ground, which kept it under tension.
Current funding for the excavation is running out, but the Park, together with the Prosecutor’s Office, has announced that they intend to continue the investigation, taking advantage of funding for an excavation campaign provided in the Budget Law by the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, who visited Pompeii yesterday for an inspection.
Also, because there are still many points to clarify in Civita Giuliana, not only scientifically but also legally.
The continuous discoveries about the daily life and customs of the ancient Romans made possible by the scientific investigations in the villa of Civita Giuliana, near the Pompeii Archaeological Park, strengthen our conviction to continue funding excavation activities. The newly discovered rooms recently revealed today are a precious testimony to the past of a great civilization and honor the professionalism of archaeological research, which is once again more active than ever in Pompeii. I want to thank the Torre Annunziata Prosecutor’s Office for their collaboration, which has made it possible to preserve the Villa of Civita Giuliana from the criminal activity of art traffickers and to embark on a research path capable of achieving these important results, stated the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano.
This is a virtuous example of synergy between the Ministry of Culture, the Park, and the Torre Annunziata Prosecutor’s Office, said the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, an operation of great scientific but also cultural value. We want to develop this exceptional site by making it accessible to everyone, a node in the network of Greater Pompeii, between the ancient city, the villas, and the museum centers of Boscoreale, Oplontis, and Stabia. The allocation in the State Budget for new excavations in Pompeii and other national parks desired by Minister Sangiuliano will help us continue this fascinating archaeological enterprise.
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