Look inside luxurious 2,000-year-old Roman home recently uncovered near the Colosseum

Aspen Pflughoeft
·2 min read
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In a city already teeming with the bygone glory of the ancient Roman empire, archaeologists in Rome, Italy, announced the discovery of another historic treasure: a luxurious 2,000-year-old home.

The ancient Roman home sits near the Colosseum but went unnoticed until 2018, when archaeologists uncovered some of its walls, according to a Dec. 12 news release from Italy’s Ministry of Culture. Excavations have only revealed part of the multi-story house — but its grandeur is already visible.

The house has a main room that functioned like a banquet hall during the summer and was designed to imitate a cave, archaeologists said. The room boasted water features and an elaborate mosaic.

The elaborate mosaic found inside the ancient Roman house.
The elaborate mosaic found inside the ancient Roman house.

The mosaic is made of seashells, stones and other materials intricately arranged into complex patterns, a close-up photo shows.

Photos show this colorful, well-preserved mosaic filling one of the cavernous walls. The central scene shows four shrines separated by pillars, archaeologists said.

A close-up photo showing two of the shrines depicted in the mosaic.
A close-up photo showing two of the shrines depicted in the mosaic.

One of the shrines has weapons, tridents and trumpets that archaeologists said might reference the owner’s triumph in land and naval battles.

A close-up photo showing the rocks, shells and other materials used in the mosaic.
A close-up photo showing the rocks, shells and other materials used in the mosaic.

The upper section of the mosaic has a semicircular shape and depicts a separate scene. Photos show this part of the wall. The scene centers on a large building and coastal city that archaeologists said might reference a wartime conquest of the home’s owner.

A close-up photo showing the upper section of the mosaic.
A close-up photo showing the upper section of the mosaic.
A close-up photo showing the center building of the mosaic’s upper section.
A close-up photo showing the center building of the mosaic’s upper section.

In a different room, excavations uncovered another type of wall art: white carvings of detailed architecture features, archaeologists said. A photo shows these walls.

Some of the other wall art found at the house.
Some of the other wall art found at the house.

Based on the home’s extravagant interior and central location, archaeologists think its owner was an elite aristocrat, possibly even a senator or governing official, of ancient Rome.

The home is at least 2,000 years old, dating between the second century B.C. and the first century B.C., archaeologists said.

A YouTube video shared by Italy’s Ministry of Culture shows the area outside of the house and its luxurious interior.

The house is located on the southwestern edge of the Colosseum Archaeological Park and just over half a mile from the Colosseum itself.

Excavations of the recently uncovered ancient home will continue into 2024, the Ministry of Culture said. Officials plan to restore the structure and eventually open it to the public.

Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Italy’s Ministry of Culture.

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