In all the institutes in the world there is gossip, but while in most of them they talk about flirting, at the Liceo Scientifico Cavour in Rome the real talk was archaeology. More specifically, the rumor that had been heard for years The thing is that under the gymnasium there were Roman ruins. When the teachers notified the authorities and they began preparing for the excavations, they found a vein that is just 100 meters from the mythical Roman Colosseum.
The discovery. Just by starting to remove rubble, the archeology team of the Special Superintendence of Rome has discovered the remains of a spectacular Roman domus in an exceptional state of conservation. This large luxury house dates back to the 2nd century AD and is still mostly underground, but intact wall paintings and decorative stuccoes have already been seen that have stood on its vaults practically at their original height, which the archaeologists themselves describe as spectacular.
Finding walls and floors is relatively common, but finding legible decoration not so much. The size of the domus and the quantity and quality of decorations discovered indicate that we are facing a residence of high-ranking people of the time.
Why is it important. The Liceo Scientifico Cavour is located in the Rione Monti, in the area between the Carinae and the Esquilino, one of the most relevant neighborhoods of ancient Rome. Figures such as Cicero, Pompey and Octavian lived there. Despite this, modern constructions have seriously damaged its archaeological record, according to the Special Superintendence of Rome. As part of this domus already appeared in the 19th century along with a lead pipe with the names of the owners, it is potentially possible to link the material remains with their possible owners.
Context. More specifically, it was in 1895, with the opening of Via degli Annibaldi, when a aquarian fistula revealed the name of the owners: the Umbria family. That was the usual Roman method to identify ownership of the water supply. The building where the institute is today was built at the end of the 19th century as the headquarters of a Catholic missionary congregation. Paradoxically, it was this modern construction that served to seal and preserve the Roman remains.
Yes, but. At the moment, the discovery already has a provisional name: “Domus del Liceo Cavour” and although there are several hypotheses about the size of the house and its owners, nothing is confirmed until the excavations are completed and the remains found are analyzed in their entirety. And it won’t be easy: digging under a functioning institute makes work slow, so the results can take years.
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Cover | Jorgen Hendriksen and Cantieri Narranti
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