‘Once in a century’ discovery reveals Pompeii’s incredible luxury

A “once in a century” discovery has been unearthed in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, after being hidden under meters of volcanic rock and ash for 2,000 years.

Archaeologists have discovered a spectacular private bathhouse – possibly the largest ever found there – complete with hot, hot and cold rooms, exquisite artwork and a giant plunge pool.

The spa-like complex lies at the center of a grand residence that was uncovered during a major excavation over the past two years.

“These are places that really are part of the ‘Pompeii effect’ – it’s almost as if people had walked by only a minute ago,” says Dr. Gabriel Zuchtrigel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, who led the special. The new discovery has been revealed by BBC News.

Analysis of two skeletons discovered in the house also suggests the horrors Pompeii residents faced when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79.

The bodies were those of a woman, aged between 35 and 50, with jewelery and coins in her hand, and a man in his late teens or early 20s.

They barricaded themselves in a small room, but a tsunami of extremely hot volcanic gas and ash – known as a pyroclastic flow – swept through the city, killing them.

“It’s a dramatic place, and everything you find here tells you about the drama,” says Dr. Ludovica Alesse, a Pompeii conservator.

One third of the ancient city is still hidden beneath the disaster’s volcanic debris, but new excavations – the most extensive in a generation – offer new insights into ancient Roman life.

The archaeologists have been followed for a series by a documentary team from the BBC and Lion TV Pompeii: The New Dig.

An entire block of Pompeii has now been uncovered, revealing a laundry shop and bakery as well as large private houses. It is believed that all of them were owned by a wealthy man, possibly Aulus Rustius Verus, an influential Pompeian politician.

Dr. Zuchtrygel says the discovery of the bathhouse further confirms their elite status.

“There were only a few houses that had private bathing facilities, so it was really something for the richest people,” he says. “And it’s huge – it’s probably the largest bath complex in a Pompeian private house.”

Those who were lucky enough to use the suite of bathrooms would have undressed in a changing room with vibrant red walls and mosaic floors with geometric patterns inlaid with marble from the Roman Empire.

They would then go to the heated room, plunge into the bath and enjoy the sauna-like heat, which was provided by a suspended floor that allowed hot air to flow down and a cavity on the walls where the heat could circulate. Could have.

They would then go into a brightly painted, heated room where oil would be rubbed into the skin before scraping it off with a curved instrument called a strigil.

Finally, they will enter the largest and most luxurious room of all – the frigidarium, or cold room. Surrounded by red columns and frescoes of athletes, a visitor can relax in the plunge pool, which is large enough to hold 20-30 people.

“In the hot summer, you can sit with your feet in the water, talk with your friends, maybe enjoy a cup of wine,” says Dr. Zuchtrygel.

The bathroom is the latest discovery from this extraordinary home.

Last year we got a huge banquet room with jet black walls and breathtaking artwork of classical scenes. A smaller, more intimate room – painted light blue – where the residents of the house would go and pray to the deities, was also unearthed.

The dwelling was renovated mid-century – tools and construction materials were found everywhere. In the blue room there are heaps of oyster shells lying on the floor, ready to be ground and applied to the walls to give them an iridescent shine.

Next to this beautiful place, in a cramped room with barely any decorations, a major discovery was made – the remains of two Pompeians who failed to survive the eruption.

The skeleton of a woman was found wrapped in the fetal position on top of her bed. There was a dead body of a man in the corner of this small room.

“The pyroclastic flow from Vesuvius came out onto the street right outside this room, and a wall collapsed, and it basically crushed him to death,” explains Pompeii archaeologist Dr. Sophie Hay.

“The woman was still alive when he was dying – imagine the trauma – and then this room filled with the remaining pyroclastic flow, and that’s how she died.”

Analysis of the male skeleton revealed that despite his young age, his bones showed signs of wear and tear, suggesting he was of low status, possibly even a slave.

The woman was older, but her bones and teeth were in good condition.

“She was probably a high-ranking woman in society,” says Dr Hay. “She could have been the wife of the owner of the house – or perhaps a maid taking care of the wife, we just don’t know.”

A variety of objects were found on top of a marble table in the room – glass vessels, bronze jugs and pottery – probably brought into the room where the couple had hidden themselves in hopes of escaping the explosion.

But it is the objects held by the victims that are of particular interest. The younger man had some keys, while the older woman had gold and silver coins and jewellery.

These are kept in Pompeii’s vault along with other priceless objects from the city, and we were given the chance to view them with archaeologist Dr. Alessandro Russo.

The gold coins still shine as if they were new, and he shows us delicate gold and natural pearl earrings, necklace pendants and intricately carved semi-precious stones.

“When we find an object like this, the distance between ancient times and modern times disappears,” says Dr. Rousseau, “and we can touch a small part of the lives of these people who died in the explosion.”

Dr Sophie Hay has described the private bath complex as a once-in-a-century discovery, which sheds even more light on the dark side of Roman life.

Immediately behind the hot room is a boiler room. A pipe brought water from the street – some of which was flushed into a cold plunge pool – and the rest was heated in a lead boiler meant to heat the rooms. The valves that control flow look so modern as if you could still turn them on and off today.

With a furnace below, the conditions in this room would have been unbearably hot for the slaves who had to keep the entire system running.

Dr. Sophie Hay says, “The most powerful thing from these excavations is that there is a huge difference between the lives of slaves and those of very wealthy people. And here we see it.”

“The difference between the luxurious life of the bathhouse compared to the furnace room, where slaves worked hard all day stoking the fires.

“A wall is the only thing that can divide you between two different worlds.”

The excavation is in its final weeks – but new discoveries are emerging from the ashes. A limited number of visitors are allowed there during the excavation, but eventually it will be fully opened to the public.

“Every day is a surprise here,” says Dr. Anna Onesti, director of excavations.

“Sometimes in the morning I come to work thinking it’s a normal working day – and then I realize we’ve got something extraordinary.

“This is a magical moment in the life of Pompeii, and this excavation work gives us the possibility to share it with the public.”