Pompeii, new discoveries at Civita Giuliana: slaves were better nourished than "free" slaves. Beans, fruit, and tools used for slave labor were discovered.
The excavations reveal a surprising picture: the slaves' diet was supplemented with foods rich in vitamins and proteins. Casts of doors, agricultural tools, and structures from the villa's upper floor were also discovered.
Pompeii, new discoveries at Civita Giuliana: slaves were better nourished than "free" slaves. Beans, fruit, and objects used for slave labor were found.
New discoveries emerge from the Villa of Civita Giuliana, north of the Pompeii excavations, where archaeological research is providing a surprising picture of the life of Roman slaves.
According to the latest findings, these workers – considered by the Romans instrumenta vocalia, “talking instruments” – they received nutrition that in some cases was superior to that of many free citizens.
The investigations, financed with 140mila euros within the framework of the "National Excavation Campaign" of the Ministry of Culture, are documented on theOfficial E-Journal of the Pompeii Excavations.
Beans, fruit, and 16-square-meter cells: the slaves' diet
In a room on the first floor of the servants' quarters they were found amphorae with broad beans, one of which is half empty, and a large basket of fruit – pears, apples or rowanberries.
Valuable supplements for men, women and children forced to live in cells of just 16 square meters, each with up to three beds.
The presence of beans and fruit confirms what ancient sources suggested: slaves were fed foods rich in vitamins and proteins to keep them healthy and maximize productivity.
In fact, their economic value could reach thousands of sesterces.
Pantries on the first floor to protect them from mice and to control their consumption
The storage of food on the upper floors may have had a dual function: to protect it from rodents – the remains of which had already been found in the ground floor accommodations – and ration supplies.
It is likely that they lived on the upper floor trusted servants, responsible for supervising other workers.
A villa of exceptional dimensions
The servants' quarter of Civita Giuliana, which could accommodate about fifty people, is one of the largest ever found in the Pompeii area.
To feed such a group, it was necessary every year 18.500 kg of wheat, coming from an agricultural area estimated at 25 hectares.
Despite the harshness of the servile condition, it happened that the slaves of the large villas were better nourished than many free citizens, often forced to ask for assistance to survive.
Extraordinary casts: doors, agricultural tools and upper floor structures
The excavation brought to light new plaster casts highly detailed:
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the door of a double door, with the studs still visible;
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an object related to agricultural tools, perhaps a handle or part of a plough;
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a large leaning door, perhaps under repair, found near the “carpenter's room”.
Archaeologists are also investigating the walls of the upper floors and rooms separated by partitions in opus craticium.
"These excavations clearly show how inhumane the ancient slavery system was," comments the director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. Gabriel Zuchtriegel.
«Slaves were treated as tools of labor, but humanity cannot be erased. We breathe the same air, we eat the same things: sometimes slaves even ate better than the so-called free people."
Zuchtriegel also recalls that modern forms of slavery, under other names, still involve over 30 million people worldwide today.
The conservation project: stop the tomb raiders and expand the excavation
The villa has been the subject of investigations since 2017, conducted in close collaboration with the Procuratorate of Torre Annunziata to combat illegal looting.
A new official project is active today demolition, excavation and valorization, which will allow us to expand the study of the servants' quarters and completely reconstruct the structure of the entire villa.
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