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Actually, there were many clues listed, but they didn't directly connect them to "slaves" as such. The rough timber used in the bedding, the amphorae under the bed, a chamber pot, and lots of evidence suggesting the room was used for storage in addition to sleeping. These all point towards someone of much lower class (slaves of some kind) than the owner of the villa.

discuss

IncRnd|4 years ago

Why is there the assumption that people of lower classes were slaves?

usrusr|4 years ago

Nominally free lower classes would have lived in an entirely different part of town. We know quite a lot about the society in question from written sources, this is far from blank slate archaeology (where everything we find seems to default to "used for some ceremonial purpose")

tata71|4 years ago

Matter of definition, I suppose.

rightbyte|4 years ago

I assume that in 79 A.D. the things you list, like beds no matter the timber roughness, were a luxury. Like, imagine living in a stone house? In a room with decorated walls (looks like carved out patterns on them).

Surely the scrappiest room in the villa was for servants, some distant poor relative or rented out to students or what not. I just don't buy that the inhabitants for sure were slaves.

djur|4 years ago

Slaves, plebians, and patricians were very distinct social classes. There really wasn't such a thing as a free servant, with the occasional exception of some freedmen. Roman villas had two separate living areas, one for the owner's family and one for the slaves. We know enough about Roman architecture to identify this as the pars rustica, the slaves' quarters.

Tagbert|4 years ago

I assume that they have compared these accommodations to others already found and see a noticeable difference in the quality of the furnishings and other components.

Slaves made up 30-40% of the population so it not unreasonable to conclude that the shabby accommodations would be intended for slaves.

frostburg|4 years ago

Pompeii was a place where rich people lived, not an average town.

throw63738|4 years ago

Bed luxury? Wood was cheap and with basic tools it takes a few hours to make.