Archaeologists in Italy unearth 2,000 year-old hall where emperor & knights used to party

Archaeologists from Oriental University of Naples in Italy discovered an ancient hall in a villa located on a cliff in Posillipo. university's Facebook page said ancient hall h a white mosaic with a double black frame in villa of Vedio Pollione, a Roman knight who lived in first century before Christ.  villa was famous for its parties in which Roman Emperor Augustus also participated. living room, located below villa's springs, is thought to date back to late Republican age or first century .

“Ours is still a hyposis. A stratigraphic dating is still missing, but based on style that hall could date back to late Republican age or Augustan at latest", said Marco Giglio, of L'Orientale University of Naples, who led excavation bringing to light what could having been home of Publius Vedio Pollio, a successful wine merchant and politician.

history

After being lost for two thousand years, hall on floor of Imperial Villa of Pausilypon has been rediscovered. This could reveal new information about villa's first owner, Publius Vedio Pollione, a wealthy and ruthless Campanian knight who was a successful wine merchant and politician. Pollione was close to emperor Augustus, but he eventually embarrassed him to point where he was subjected to something similar to damnatio memoriae (erasure from official records) after his death. rediscovery of villa's floor could provide new insights into Pollione's life and history of villa. So much so that Augustus, who inherited its assets, rically transformed that villa to erase all traces of its master.

excavation, conducted with concession of Ministry of Culture and in agreement with Superintendency for Archaeology, fine arts and landscape of Campania municipality, engaged in a project to enhance archaeological park of Posillipo. 

Under service areas of baths, a floor me of tiny white tiles with a black frame emerged. It belonged to a large hall overlooking sea. Augustus reigned from 27 BC and Pollione died twelve years after that in 15 BC, and it was n that his fabulous Neapolitan villa passed into hands of emperor. Augustus transformed that place into service rooms for his personal spa.