The Azerbaijan State News Agency

WORLD

'Once-in-a-century' discovery reveals spectacular luxury of Pompeii

Baku, January 17, AZERTAC

After lying hidden beneath metres of volcanic rock and ash for 2,000 years, a "once-in-a-century" find has been unearthed in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii in Italy, according to BBC News.

Archaeologists have discovered a sumptuous private bathhouse - potentially the largest ever found there - complete with hot, warm and cold rooms, exquisite artwork, and a huge plunge pool.

The spa-like complex sits at the heart of a grand residence uncovered over the last two years during a major excavation.

"It's these spaces that really are part of the 'Pompeii effect' - it's almost as if the people had only left a minute ago," says Dr Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, who has revealed the new find exclusively to BBC News.

Analysis of two skeletons discovered in the house also shows the horror faced by Pompeii's inhabitants when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79.

The bodies belonged to a woman, aged between 35 and 50, who was clutching jewellery and coins, and a younger man in his teens or early 20s.

They had barricaded themselves into a small room, but were killed as a tsunami of superheated volcanic gas and ash - known as a pyroclastic flow - ripped through the town.

"This is a dramatic place, and everything you find here tells you about the drama," says Pompeii conservator, Dr Ludovica Alesse.

A third of the ancient city still lies hidden beneath volcanic debris from the disaster, but the new excavation - the most extensive in a generation - provides new insights into ancient Roman life.

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

An entire block of Pompeii has now been uncovered, revealing a laundry and bakery, as well as the large private house. It's thought these were all owned by one wealthy individual, possibly Aulus Rustius Verus, an influential Pompeii politician.

The discovery of the bathhouse is further confirmation of his elite status, says Dr Zuchtriegel.

"There are just a few houses that have a private bath complex, so it was something really for the wealthiest of the wealthy," he says. "And this is so huge - it's probably the biggest bath complex in a Pompeiian private home."

Those lucky enough to use the suite of bathing rooms would have undressed in a changing room with vibrant red walls and a mosaic floor dotted with geometric patterns inlaid with marble from across the Roman Empire.

They would then head to the hot room, taking a dip in a bath and enjoying the sauna-like warmth, provided by a suspended floor that allowed hot air to flow underneath and walls with a cavity where the heat could circulate.

Next they would move to the brightly-painted warm room, where oil would be rubbed into the skin, before being scraped off with a curved instrument called a strigil.

Finally, they would enter the largest and most spectacular room of all - the frigidarium, or cold room. Surrounded by red columns and frescoes of athletes, a visitor could cool off in the plunge pool, which is so large 20-30 people could fit in it.

"In the hot summers, you could sit with your feet in the water, chatting with your friends, maybe enjoying a cup of wine," says Dr Zuchtriegel.

The bathhouse is the latest find to emerge from this extraordinary house.

A huge banqueting room with jet black walls and breathtaking artwork of classical scenes was found last year. A smaller, more intimate room - painted in pale blue - where residents of the house would go and pray to the gods was also unearthed.

The residence was mid-renovation - tools and building materials have been found throughout. In the blue room a pile of oyster shells lie on the floor, ready to be ground up and applied to the walls to give them an iridescent shimmer.

Next door to this beautiful space, in a cramped room with barely any decoration, a stark discovery was made - the remains of two Pompeiians who failed to escape from the eruption.

The skeleton of a woman was found lying on top of a bed, curled up in a foetal position. The body of a man was in the corner of this small room.

"The pyroclastic flow from Vesuvius came along the street just outside this room, and caused a wall to collapse, and that had basically crushed him to death," explains Dr Sophie Hay, an archaeologist at Pompeii.

"The woman was still alive while he was dying - imagine the trauma - and then this room filled with the rest of the pyroclastic flow, and that's how she died."

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

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

"She was probably someone higher up in society," says Dr Hay. "She could have been the wife of the owner of the house - or maybe an assistant looking after the wife, we just don't know."

An assortment of items were found on a marble table top in the room - glassware, bronze jugs and pottery - perhaps brought into the room where the pair had tucked themselves away hoping to wait out the eruption.

But it's the items clutched by the victims that are of particular interest. The younger man held some keys, while the older woman was found with gold and silver coins and jewellery.

These are kept in Pompeii's vault, along with the city's other priceless finds, and we were given a chance to see them with archaeologist, Dr Alessandro Russo.

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

"When we find this kind of object, the distance from ancient times and modern times disappears," Dr Russo says, "and we can touch a small piece of the life of these people who died in the eruption."

Dr Sophie Hay describes the private bathhouse complex as a once-in-a-century discovery, which also sheds more light on a darker side of Roman life.

Just behind the hot room is a boiler room. A pipe brought water in from the street - with some syphoned off into the cold plunge pool - and the rest was heated in a lead boiler destined for the hot room. The valves that regulated the flow look so modern it's as if you could turn them on and off even today.

With a furnace sitting beneath, the conditions in this room would have been unbearably hot for the slaves who had to keep the whole system going.

"The most powerful thing from these excavations is that stark contrast between the lives of the slaves and the very, very rich. And here we see it," says Dr Sophie Hay.

"The difference between the sumptuous life of the bathhouse, compared to the furnace room, where the slaves would be feeding the fire toiling all day.

"A wall is all that could divide you between two different worlds."

The excavation is in its final weeks - but new discoveries continue to emerge from the ash. Limited numbers of visitors are allowed to visit the dig while it's ongoing, but eventually it will be fully opened to the public.

"Every day here is a surprise," says Dr Anna Onesti, director of the excavation.

"Sometimes in the morning I come to work thinking that it's a normal working day - and then I discover we found something exceptional.

"It's a magic moment for the life of Pompeii, and this excavation work offers us the possibility to share this with the public."

Share news on social media

Follow us on social network

Azerbaijan, Armenia exchange views on clarifying fate of missing persons

Nizami Ganjavi International Center hosts official reception on 13th Global Baku Forum

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry outlines main priorities for 2025

President Ilham Aliyev attended inauguration of new park near “Ganjlik” metro station in Baku

® Baku hosts conference on innovative digitalization solutions

Astana hosts 2nd meeting of Council of Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation

SBI Markets: Azerbaijan's investment climate is positive - INTERVIEW

Tesla sales crash in Germany as CEO Musk continues political activism

Azerbaijani MPs to attend Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in New York

January 2025 transfer window breaks multiple records in both men’s and women’s football

Online sales of Azerbaijani products launch in Turkmenistan

Azerbaijan's figure skater grabs bronze in Italian tournament

Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos signs for Liga MX's Monterrey

'Ionic wind' vortex ring launchers extinguish fires cleanly and safely

Azerbaijani freestyle wrestlers claim two more medals in Zagreb Open 2025 Ranking Series

Bank Respublika starts cooperation with Baku Higher Oil School

FIFA suspends Congolese Football Association and Pakistan Football Federation

6.0-magnitude quake hits south of Fiji Islands

Head of Presidential Administration Samir Nuriyev introduces new Minister of Finance to staff

Trump signs order imposing sanctions on International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel

The Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
On appointing A.R.Aliyev as Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Two dead after plane crashes into vehicles on busy road in Sao Paulo

Azerbaijani Para taekwondo fighters aim for 'medal rush' in Turkish tournament

Somali Council of Ministers approves cooperation agreements with Azerbaijan

Severe weather disrupts air traffic in South Korea

Kazakhstan ranks among world's top 50 countries for FDI

® Solid business performance and record tax payments by Carlsberg Azerbaijan in 2024

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expresses gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev on behalf of Turkish people

Amazon follows Google, Meta, and Microsoft with plans to boost spending on AI

“Garabagh University Clinic” public legal entity to be established - ORDER

Magnitude 3.1 quake jolts Caspian Sea

Alaska authorities search for missing passenger plane with 10 on board

Scientists predict devastation if asteroid Bennu strikes Earth in 2182

Azerbaijan and Slovakia hold first consular consultations

Bulgarian scientists developing antibacterial surfaces for restoring damaged bone tissue

Premier League considers cutting winter transfer window to two weeks

Azerbaijan sends additional humanitarian aid consisting of electrical equipment to Ukraine

“Winter Fairy Tale” International Music Festival to begin in Gabala today

Air pollution kills 100 children every day in East Asia, Pacific: UNICEF

Omega-3 supplements slow biological ageing

Overall, people feel better about life in the morning

7 killed in floods, landslides in northeast Brazil

Oil prices surge in global markets

6.0-magnitude quake hits Southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia

Azerbaijani oil approaches $77

Trial continues for individuals of Armenian origin accused of committing numerous crimes against Azerbaijani people

UEFA weighs up scrapping extra time for Champions League knockout rounds

Azerbaijan’s NGOs to present digital map of Armenia’s environmentally hazardous enterprises

2 pilots die in light aircraft crash in Moscow region

Azerbaijan names badminton line-up for upcoming European Championships in Baku

Commission on Combating Corruption convenes meeting

Russian Foreign Ministry confirms Moscow`s receipt of note verbale on terminating activities of “Russian House” in Baku

Symposium held at Central Military Polyclinic of the Defense Ministry

UK to make it easier to build nuclear reactors

® Azercell supports women entrepreneurs in Sheki

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry: Note verbale sent to Russian side, terminating activities of “Russian House”

January 2025 the warmest on record: Copernicus

Turkish officials mark 2nd anniversary of 2023 earthquakes

SOCAR and UAE’s Crescent Petroleum company discuss prospects for cooperation

The Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
On appointing S.R.Babayev as Minister of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Three policemen killed, 5 injured in terrorist attack in Pakistan

Former Real Madrid star Marcelo retires from football

6th UAE aid ship arrives at Al Arish Port with relief for Gaza

Two young Azerbaijani badminton players enter BWF’s Top 100

Businessmen of Kyrgyzstan and China sign 19 agreements worth $700 million

Loon-like waterfowl from dinosaur-era Antarctica is oldest 'modern' bird

BSU, Suleyman Demirel University of Kazakhstan sign memorandum of understanding

SOCAR, Slovenian companies explore prospects for expanding cooperation

Belarus sends humanitarian aid to flood victims in Kenya

SOCAR, Tatarstan’s companies discuss cooperation prospects

Asteroid impact on moon blasted two grand canyons in 10 minutes

Central Bank fully covers $54.5 million demand at FX auction

Aircraft crashes in southern Philippines

Ombudsman: Armenia must provide accurate information on burial sites of murdered civilians

China’s BYD to launch electric bus production facility in Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan adds new route to Europe

Schizophrenia cases linked to cannabis use disorders nearly tripled over 17-year period: Ontario study

23 dead, 2 missing due to heavy rains in Bolivia

Russia ready for serious conversation about achieving peace in Ukraine — ambassador to UK

Iran unveils its first homegrown drone carrier

AC Milan put three past Roma, into Coppa Italia semis

Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy send Newcastle into second Carabao Cup final in three seasons

‘Slidetronics’: Breakthrough in atomic layer manipulation could transform computing

“Azeristiliktəchizat” OJSC migrates to Government Cloud

Oil prices surge in global markets

Driving licences issued in Moldova to be recognized in United Arab Emirates

3 killed in helicopter crash in northern Italy

Azerbaijani oil price falls below $77

Gonzalo puts Real Madrid into semi-finals with 93rd-minute winner

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing

Galatasaray sign Lemina from Wolves for £2m

Argentina announces withdrawal from WHO

Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister visits Somalia

PASHA Holding hosts Azerbaijan’s first regional LEGIS Legal Forum

European data centre space shortage expected in 2025 as AI booms

® “Azerbaijan Children Hotline” publishes results for 2024

Azerbaijan to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine again

Apple upheld market cap dominance in January while Meta earned the most among top 10

From Bajram Begaj, President of the Republic of Albania

The Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
On appointing M.B.Babayev as Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Climate Issues