Find near Naples

Villa of the Roman Emperor Augustus excavated?

The spectacular remains from Roman times

(Bild: University of Tokyo Foundation)

Archaeological remains from Roman times unearthed in Somma Vesuviana near Naples could be the structure of a villa belonging to Emperor Augustus (who lived from 63 BC to 14 AD). It is highly likely that the finds are the villa in which Augustus is said to have died.

Archaeologists from the University of Tokyo recently found part of a larger structure buried under volcanic ash from the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. The excavation of the villa was carried out as part of a project by the University of Tokyo and the Naples and Pompeii Archaeological Heritage Authority.

The complex includes an almost intact colonnade with niches, statues and stucco decorations as well as structures for wine production and agricultural activities. A room with an oven used to heat bath water was also discovered, according to archaeologists from the University of Tokyo.

Charcoal from the first century AD
The researchers believe that most of the charcoal collected in this room dates back to the first half of the first century AD, which underlines the importance of the archaeological site in Somma Vesuviana.

The excavations of the past few months have not only brought to light the lava layers from the eruption of 79 AD, but also evidence and rooms from the time before the emperor, reported Aoyagi Masanori from the University of Tokyo, who has been following the excavation campaign from the beginning.

Augustus was the first Roman emperor. The great-nephew and chief heir of Gaius Iulius Caesar won the power struggles that followed his assassination in 44 BC and was the sole ruler of the Roman Empire from 31 BC to 14 AD.