Newly discovered servants' quarters near Pompeii reveal little-known details about the lives of ancient Rome's former lower class. The discovery could help us understand more about how ancient Rome's elites treated and controlled their servants.
Many of the ancient Roman emperors and other elites are well known, but there is relatively little information about their growing underclass. Ongoing excavations at Civita Giuliana, one of the main villages in the countryside surrounding the ancient city of Pompeii, have revealed significant new discoveries, including ancient kitchen utensils and a ceremonial chariot - and now, the latest discovery is a servants' quarters area , offering a unique insight into the lives of enslaved people in ancient times.
In 2021, three rooms were lit for the first time. Most of the ancient furniture has been reconstructed and smaller items have been recovered, giving researchers an unprecedented look at what these spaces might have looked like just before the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.
When this happened, the contents of the rooms were enveloped in a blanket of hot ash that rose about three feet off the ground, eventually solidifying into pyroclastic rock and freezing the objects over time. Although the organic matter has since disintegrated, researchers were able to make plaster casts of these items using the voids left in the pyroclastic layer.
One of the rooms contained three makeshift beds. On the day of the eruption, blankets were left in a disheveled pile on top. Under their beds, residents stored personal belongings and a variety of ceramic vases.
An array of furniture filled another room, including a bed beneath a large L-shaped shelf, from which three wicker baskets had been knocked over by the wave of ash, a bench, and two small cabinets, one of which held metal tools like a knife and sickle. Another shelf lining the room contained crockery and cutlery. Evidence of a more luxurious bed with a mattress was also found.
The researchers noted in their report that there was no evidence that slaves were locked in their rooms. Instead, they speculated that the most comfortable bed might have belonged to a high-status servant, who was trusted to oversee his fellow citizens and prevent escapes.
“These slaves would often be granted privileges to make them reliable allies of the master, for example, allowing them to live with a slave in a de facto marriage,” the researchers wrote.
Although fugitives were severely punished, a long period of loyalty to the master was sometimes rewarded with release. Allowing slaves to start families could also have been a way of encouraging them to be more accepting of their circumstances.
“To have a global vision, we should add a climate of suspicion to the image of simplicity and intimacy offered by the rooms in the village’s slave quarters,” concluded the report. “There was certainly solidarity, perhaps even friendship and love (bonds that often lasted after a slave was freed), but there must also have been fear and terror of being accused before the master by a fellow slave.”
Civita Giuliana has a long history of being the target of looters, who damaged parts of the structure and stole many important items. Official exploration of the site began in 2017 and was supported by a partnership between the Pompeii Archaeological Park and local authorities to protect the village from any further illegal activity.
Source: Artnet News