Archaeologists in Italy were “impressed” with their discovery of a hydraulic system beneath a luxury Roman villa that was covered in the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius. However, they were “shocked” when they realized that it hadn’t moved in almost 2,000 years.
Scientists recently discovered an ancient Roman water system , or Hypocaust, that provided heated water and air to a luxury Roman villa in the German town of Kempten. Another team of archaeologists working in Italy have now announced the discovery of a Roman hydraulic system at Stabiae, an ancient city about 4.5 kilometers (2.79 miles) southwest of Pompeii.
Alessandro Sanquirico’s set design depicting the eruption of Vesuvius, the climactic scene of Giovanni Pacini’s opera. The Vesuvius explosion has allowed archaeologists to rediscover how the Romans lived almost 2,000 years ago, including their ancient water systems as this most recent discovery has permitted. ( Public domain )
Roman Water System Unmoved After Almost 2,000 Years
Roman chronicler Pliny the Elder noted that several miles of enormous luxury coastal villas lined the headland at Stabiae. Heritage Daily points out that elite Roman figures such as Julius Caesar , the emperors Augustus and Tiberius, and the statesman-philosopher Cicero “all owned properties at Stabiae.” But along with Herculaneum and Pompeii, so too was Stabiae buried by the October 79 AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius .
Considering the upper-class nature of Stabiae it is perhaps no surprise that…
