New find throws light on life of slaves in Rome's Pompeii

Archaeologists have discovered a bedroom in a Roman villa near Pompeii that was almost certainly used by slaves, throwing light on their lowly status in the ancient world, the culture ministry said on Sunday.

It contained two beds, only one of which had a mattress, two small cabinets and a series of urns and ceramic containers, in which the remains of two mice and a rat were found.

"These details once again underline the conditions of precarity and poor hygiene in which the lower echelons of society lived during that time," the culture ministry said in its statement.

There were no traces of grates, locks, or chains to restrain the room's inhabitants.

"It seems that control was primarily exerted through the internal organization of servitude, rather than physical barriers and restraints," said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii.

Excavations at the Civi ta Giuliana villa were carried out in 1907-1908, and then again from 2017, when police realised the site was being plundered by illegal diggers.

Archaeologists said part of one of the beds had been destroyed by a tunnel used by robbers to access another part of the villa.

Pompeii and the surrounding countryside was submerged by volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius exploded in AD 79, killing thousands of Romans who had no idea they were living beneath one of Europe's biggest volcanoes.

The eruption buried the city in a thick layer of ash, preserving many of its resident s and buildings.

The site has seen a burst of recent archaeological activity aimed at halting years of decay and neglect, largely thanks to a recently concluded 105-million-euro ($115.58 million) EU-funded project.

Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said on Sunday that conservation and research efforts would continue.

"What we are learning about the material conditions and social organization of that era opens up new horizons for historical and archaeological studies," he said.