Archeologists unearth remarkable preserved Pompeii bathhouse in ‘once-in-a-century’ discovery
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Spectacular bathhouses used to entertain Pompeiian’s in private home. Archaeologists have been given a new insight into what life in Pompeii was like as they uncover a spa-like complex in what has been described as a “once-in-a-century” find. What is thought to be one of the largest private bathhouses in the city has now been discovered after it lay buried underneath metres of volcanic rock for centuries.
![[The owner of the home is thought to have belonged to the city’s elite]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/17/09/Peristilio-Frigidarium-Regio-IX-%281%29.jpg)
The chambers - complete with a large plunge pool, and hot, warm, cold and changing rooms - could accommodate up to thirty people and were found at the heart of a grand residence. Archaeologists at the site believe the discovery sets an example of how private homes were used as a “spectacle” to gain favour with others.
![[The impressive baths were found near where the house’s banquet hall was situated.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/17/09/Tav.-2-copia.jpg)
The impressive baths were found near where the house’s banquet hall was situated, suggesting the Roman house lent itself to being a “stage for celebration” which goes beyond what we would consider a “private space” by today’s standards. “Everything was functional to the staging of a ‘show’, at the centre of which was the owner himself,” Dr Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii said.
![[The private bathhouses boiler room]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/17/09/Prefurnium-Regio-IX.jpg)
“[The baths are] an example of how the Roman domus served as a stage for the spectacle of art and culture that the owner staged to acquire votes or gain the benevolence of the guests.”. The bathhouse is the latest discovery made in this particular house in Pompeii. Last year, the huge banqueting hall with black walls and scenes of classical artwork was discovered.
