By EIICHI MIYASHIRO/ Senior Staff Writer
April 18, 2024 at 18:31 JST
The remains of what is believed to be a furnace used to heat a bath at the Somma Vesuviana site ((C) Research Division for the Mediterranean Areas, Institute for Advanced Global Studies, University of Tokyo, Komaba)
Researchers from the University of Tokyo have unearthed an ancient villa from beneath volcanic ash that they believe may have been used by the first Roman emperor, Augustus (63 B.C.—A.D. 14).
The team, led by Mariko Muramatsu, a professor of Italian studies, announced the discovery on April 17 after excavating and studying the Somma Vesuviana site in southern Italy over 20 years.
Histories of ancient Rome state that Augustus died at his villa on the northeast of Mount Vesuvius and that a memorial was later constructed there to honor his achievements. However, the exact site of that villa had never been determined.
The University of Tokyo team has uncovered part of a structure that was used as a warehouse. Dozens of amphora ceramic containers were found lined up along a wall of the structure.
They also uncovered the remains of what was likely a furnace used to heat the bath. Part of the wall had collapsed, scattering ancient roof tiles along the floor.
The team conducted a chemical composition analysis of the volcanic pumice that covered the ruins and determined that it likely came from the pyroclastic flow of lava, rocks and hot gases from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79.
That was the same eruption that destroyed Pompeii on the south side of the mountain.
Carbon dating of carbon from the furnace found that most samples were from around the first century. Since there were no signs of later use of the structure, the team determined that the villa was no longer used after Augustus died.
“We have finally reached this stage after 20 years," said Masanori Aoyagi, professor emeritus of Western classical archaeology at the University of Tokyo, who was the first head of the research team that started excavating the site in 2002. "This is a major development that will help us determine the damage caused to the northern side of Vesuvius and get a better overall idea of the eruption in 79.”
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