A large and sophisticated spa complex, believed to have been used by its owners to lure wealthy clients, has been discovered in the ruins of ancient Pompeii.
The baths were discovered during excavations of a house on Via Nora in the 9th arrondissement of Legio, a wealthy area of the city before it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
This home spa is one of the few and largest of its kind ever discovered in the Pompeii Archaeological Park in southern Italy.
The complex is connected to a stunning banquet hall filled with frescoes depicting figures inspired by the Trojan War, excavated last year, and experts say the residence belonged to a member of Pompeii’s elite. It was concluded that it was used as a stage of war. Owners can confirm their social status and, in some cases, even promote their candidacy for election.
“This is an example of how Rome’s domus functioned as a stage for artistic and cultural shows,” said Gabriel Zstriegel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park. “I staged it to win favor,” he said. .
The spa complex has facilities for up to 30 people, who will move between three pools: Caldarium (hot), Tepidarium (warm) and Frigidarium (cold). Experts say the cold room, with its porticoed courtyard, was particularly impressive.
It is believed that this bathhouse provided guests with an opportunity to relax after a luxurious banquet. “Everything worked to put on a ‘show,’ and at the center of it all was the owner himself,” Zuchtriegel said.
This banquet hall is known as the Black Room because of the color of its walls, which were probably intended to hide the soot from burning oil lamps. The walls are decorated with artwork featuring characters from Greek mythology, such as the first meeting between Helen of Troy and Paris, Prince of Troy.
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The room also faces the courtyard and has a long staircase leading to the first floor of the property. On the arches of the staircase are two pairs of charcoal drawings of gladiators, which archaeologists say look like “giant stylized phalluses”.
Excavations at Regio IX have yielded many other discoveries since they began in February 2023. This includes a small bakery house where enslaved people are thought to have been confined and forced to produce bread.
