Fresh discoveries in the Villa of the Slaves at Pompeii have revealed more about daily life in the Civita Giuliana complex, where enslaved workers lived. The Italian culture ministry announced the findings on Friday.

Archaeologists uncovered amphorae containing broad beans and a large basket filled with fruit in a first-floor room. This food was valuable for the men, women, and children who slept in 16-square-metre cells with up to three beds.

According to the ministry, the discovery also shows that “in some cases slaves ate better than their ‘free’ neighbours”. They explained that enslaved people, described by the Romans as “talking instruments”, were considered “tools of production”. Their owners therefore ensured they received foods rich in vitamins, such as fruit, and proteins, such as beans, in order to maintain their value, which could reach several thousand sesterces.

The Villa of the Slaves excavation was funded through a €140,000 grant under the “National Excavation Campaign in Pompeii and Other National Parks”, financed by the 2024 budget law.

Pompeii Director Gabriel Zuchtriegel, co-author of the study on the Civita Giuliana slave quarter, commented: “It’s cases like this where the absurdity of the ancient slave system becomes apparent.”

He added: “Humans are treated like tools, like machines, but humanity cannot be erased so easily. And so, the boundary between slave and free was constantly in danger of disappearing: we breathe the same air, we eat the same food, sometimes slaves even eat better than the so-called free.”

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