Archaeologists have uncovered a lavish first-century CE villa in Castel di Guido, on the outskirts of Rome, about 19 kilometers west of the city walls. The find sheds new light on Roman elite life. In antiquity, the area was known as Lorium, a place often visited by emperors Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, who built a residence there and died there at age 74, and Marcus Aurelius. Relatives of Antoninus Pius, who ruled from 138 CE to 161 CE, also lived in Lorium.
The discovery became possible after local police received a report of illegal digging on state-owned land in the area, according to The Independent. Alessia Contino of Italy’s Ministry of Culture said, “Thanks to the local report and the rapid intervention, it was possible to identify part of a large, previously unknown villa from the Roman imperial period and uncover a rich array of decorations, as well as the discovery of a fine white marble statue.”
Daniele Furo, the Special Superintendent of Rome under the ministry, said the villa shows “the extraordinary archaeological wealth of our city, even outside the historic center.” Researchers identified the atrium, a central open-roofed area with a sunken pool, decorated with geometric and vegetal motifs. Excavated rooms included one with nine black-and-white geometric panels, another with black octagons on a white background, and a third with black rectangular motifs.
The site also yielded mosaic-floored rooms and structures, plus parts of a roughly 80-centimeter-tall statue of a bearded figure in a tunic holding a small animal. On stylistic grounds, it is believed to depict Silvanus, the Roman god of forests and nature and protector of farmers. The scale of the villa, along with the quality of the mosaics, paintings, and artifacts, suggests a very high social status for its owners. Although the original owners have not yet been identified, the evidence points to Roman nobility, likely people connected closely to the imperial family. Archaeologists believe the villa was built in the early first century and abandoned in the third century.
