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Bathing suite, steam bath and plunge pool: Archaeologists find wellness area in Roman barn conversion

2022-11-29T14:51:47.549Z


The villa complex was made famous by an Iliad mosaic, and now a research team has made another discovery: the ancient owners had once converted a barn into a house - including a wellness room and underfloor heating.


Enlarge image

Archaeological site in Rutland, UK

Photo: UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER

Renovating an old farmhouse is a dream for many.

Apparently, wealthy villa owners in Rutland in Roman Great Britain also fulfilled this, as archaeologists have found out.

In the East Midlands they discovered that the owners had converted a wooden farm barn into a dwelling house with a bathing suite featuring a hot steam room, warm room and cold plunge pool.

The Guardian reported on this.

A British farmer made a special find during the 2020 Corona lockdown: he discovered a Roman mosaic and the remains of a villa in his field.

He then informed scientists who systematically excavated and documented the find.

The mosaic depicts Homer's Iliad - Achilles and his struggle with Hector at the end of the mythical battle for Troy.

»Clear picture of the entire complex«

"Whereas previous excavations of individual buildings or smaller villas gave us only a snapshot, this discovery at Rutland is much more complete and gives a clearer picture of the whole complex," said John Thomas, deputy director of the University of Leicester Archaeological Service, according to the Guardian .

The find is now protected by the government and described as "the most exciting discovery of a Roman mosaic in the United Kingdom in the last century," according to the report.

The aim of this year's work is to examine other buildings throughout the villa complex in order to place the Trojan War mosaic in a larger context.

Now the same team has made other discoveries at the site - including converting a barn about the size of a smaller church.

It was supported by large wooden posts and may have once had two stories.

In the third or fourth century it was converted into a stone barn, the account says, with one side built into a multi-story dwelling and the other side used for agricultural or craft work.

Roman style bathroom

The apartment has one main feature: a Roman-style bathroom.

This included underfloor heating as well as heating pipes embedded in the walls.

A tank outside the building may have been used to collect water from the roof.

According to the Guardian, a dining room was added to the main villa.

A sign that the owners wanted a separate dining area.

The researchers also discovered fragments of polished marble, broken stone columns and painted wall plaster, which indicate elaborate decoration.

Further mosaics were found during the excavations on the paths leading to the dining room.

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Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2022-11-29

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