A bakery where slaves were imprisoned and exploited to produce bread has been discovered in the ruins of Pompeii in what has been described as the most shocking example of slavery in the ancient Roman city. The cramped bakery with small windows covered with iron bars was part of a house that emerged during excavations in the Regio IX area of the Pompeii archaeological park in the south. Italy.
The discovery provides more evidence about the daily life of Pompeii’s enslaved people, who are often forgotten by historical sources, but who made up the majority of the population and whose hard labor shaped the city’s economy as well as the culture and structure of the Roman Empire. supported civilization.
The house was presumably undergoing renovation work when it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. But the remains of three victims were found in one of the bakery’s rooms in recent months, suggesting that the house still had residents.
