The culture ministry said on Sunday, August 13, 2023, that archaeologists had found a tiny bedroom in a Roman villa close to Pompeii that was probably certainly occupied by slaves, shedding information on their poor standing in the ancient world.

A small bedroom that was almost certainly used by slaves is pictured after it was discovered by archaeologists in a Roman villa near Pompeii.

The villa at Civita Giuliana, some 600 meters (2,000 feet) north of Pompeii's walls, which were destroyed by Mount Vesuvius' volcanic eruption over 2,000 years ago, is where the room was discovered.

The Director of Pompeii Archeological Park, Gabriel Zuchtriege, explains in a video released by the ministry of culture that the room contained two beds, only one of which had a mattress, two small cabinets, and a number of amphorae and ceramic containers where the remains of two mice and a rat were discovered.

Over time, materials like furniture and textiles that were damaged by the horrific explosion of rock pieces, gas, and ash from Vesuvius disintegrated, leaving a gap in the rubble.

The shape and contours of the long-gone material, including the outline of a crumpled blanket left on the bed netting, are revealed when the hole is filled with plaster.

The Civita Giuliana villa underwent excavations in 1907–1908 and again starting in 2017, when police discovered that the site was being looted by unauthorized diggers.