A bakery was discovered during excavations in the IX district, located in the central part of Pompeii. As part of a major project, archaeologists were investigating the remains of a house that was being renovated just before the eruption of the volcano in 79 AD. The residential area of the house was adorned with exquisite frescoes, while the non-residential section housed a mill and a bakery, which also served as a prison for slaves.
According to the archaeologists, this find sheds light on the everyday lives of enslaved residents of Pompeii, a topic that is rarely covered in history lessons.
What the Researchers Found
The small barred windows of the bakery are just one indication of the brutal violence endured by the slaves in this city. Enslaved individuals were forced to grind grain and bake bread in a cramped space from which they could not escape.
In the basalt floor, the team noticed indentations that had been carved out for the movement of donkeys. These indentations restricted the animals’ movements, forcing them to walk in circles for hours with their eyes covered, as stated by the archaeological park “Pompeii.” A slave who managed the animal would push the millstone and oversee the grinding of the grain, the Independent reported.
“This space allows us to imagine the lives of people with slave status, whose master restricted their freedom of movement,” said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the archaeological park. He noted that this represents the most horrific aspect of ancient slavery, devoid of trust or promises of freedom, where people behind iron bars were subjected to brutal violence.
A Grim History
In 79 AD, thousands of ancient Romans perished in Pompeii, completely unaware of the impending danger posed by one of Europe’s largest volcanoes.
Pompeii, along with the neighboring city of Herculaneum, was buried under a layer of volcanic material measuring 13 to 20 feet thick. This thick layer preserved numerous remains of its inhabitants and the ruins of their homes. The eruption expelled a deadly cloud of molten rock and ash to a height of 33 kilometers at a speed of 1.5 million tons per second.
The interior of the “bakery-prison,” where slaves and donkeys were locked up to grind the grain needed for bread-making.
Recently, there has been a surge in archaeological activity in Pompeii, located in the Italian region of Campania. This is largely due to a €105 million project funded by the European Union. Notably, in August, archaeologists uncovered a small bedroom in a Roman villa near Pompeii, likely used by slaves for rest.
On December 15, an exhibition titled “Other Pompeii: Everyday Lives in the Shadow of Vesuvius” will open at the archaeological park. According to the park director, this exhibition is dedicated to “the vast number of people often overlooked by historical chronicles.” This includes the enslaved residents of Pompeii, who made up a significant portion of the city’s population. Their labor was a “substantial contribution to the economy, culture, and social structure of ancient Roman civilization,” Mr. Zuchtriegel noted.