Archaeologists in Italy discovered a bakery prison in Pompeii which enslaved workers who were exploited to make bread. According to a report by the news agency Reuters on Friday (Dec 8), the bakery was discovered during excavations at the ruins of Pompeii.
In a statement, Italy’s culture ministry said the finding emerged in Region IX, Insula 10, where excavations were underway as part of a larger project to secure and consolidate the slopes that form the edge of the unexcavated areas of the city.
A bakery with no view of the outside world
In a small room, with no view of the outside world and with small windows high in the wall with iron bars to let the light in, slaves and donkeys were forced to walk around for hours to grind grain to make bread.
Speaking to Reuters, Pompeii Archaeological Park’s Director Gabriel Zuchtriegel said, “We are in the house’s bakery and behind me, there is the big oven. The stable was right here, the donkeys used to live between these two spaces and, as you can see, there are a lot of mills.”
“The paving stones were also a bit slippery, so here we have something that exists in other parts of the city but is particularly clear here, which helped us understand this phenomenon. There are carvings,” Zuchtriegel added.
Photo: The bakery did not provide a view of the outside world and with small windows high in the wall with iron bars to let the light in.
The archaeologist also said that the bakery highlighted the very precarious living conditions of enslaved people and animals exploited for this gruelling work.
Pompeii, which was rediscovered in the 18th century, is one of Italy’s most popular tourist attractions. The city has seen a flurry of archaeological activity in recent times.
In August, archaeologists discovered a small bedroom in a Roman villa near the city that was almost certainly used by slaves, throwing light on their condition in the ancient world.
(With inputs from agencies)
