A surprising bakery-prison from antiquity emerges in Pompeii
The excavations of Pompeii have brought to light an unprecedented discovery: a bakery-prison, a place where people and donkeys were locked up to grind grain. This discovery, which emerged in Regio IX, insula 10, provides unique evidence of the living conditions of slaves and animals in the ancient bakery mills.
The site, discovered as part of a safety and maintenance project, consists of a house under renovation, divided between a residential sector and a production sector dedicated to baking. Three human victims, found in one of the rooms, testify that the place was anything but abandoned.
The structure, described in detail by the writer Apuleius in the 2nd century AD. in his Metamorphoses, he reflects a chilling reality. The narrow rooms, without external views and with small grated windows, speak of backbreaking work and a life of extreme limitation for the slaves.
In the area of the millstones, where there are semicircular recesses in the basalt slabs, the ingenious but severe mechanism for moving the millstone is highlighted. According to historical sources, a couple made up of a donkey and a slave was usually in charge of this strenuous activity. The wear of the various carvings testifies to the incessant work carried out according to a rigid scheme.
Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park, underlines how this discovery highlights the cruelest side of ancient slavery, a world of violence and deprivation of freedom. The discovery takes on an even deeper meaning, connecting to the historical-religious context of the time, as highlighted by the words of Paul, a figure of early Christianity.
As Pompeii celebrates a record number of visitors in 2023, with over four million entries, this discovery adds a new chapter in understanding daily life in the ancient city La giornata si arricchisce ulteriormente con l’inaugurazione di nuovi spazi espositivi nel Museo Archeologico Territoriale di Terzigno e la mostra “Vite comuni all’ombra del Vesuvio” nella Palestra Grande, aperta fino al 15 dicembre 2024.
The discovery of the prison bakery is not only a moment of historical revelation, but also a reminder of the complexity and depth of Roman civilization, with its lights and shadows.
