Excavations by researchers from the University of Tokyo at the northern foot of Mount Vesuvius have uncovered part of a building believed to have been used by Rome’s first emperor Augustus, who ruled from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD at the age of 75.
We know from historical sources that Augustus died in a villa on the north side of Mount Vesuvius, and that this building later served as a memorial site in his honor. However, the exact location of the villa has yet to be determined.
In the 1930s, researchers uncovered the remains of a Roman villa, presumed to have belonged to Augustus, in Somma Vesuviana, a town at the northern foot of Vesuvius. Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, destroying Pompeii.
In 2023, more detailed recent excavations carried out by Japanese researchers uncovered evidence of a building from an earlier period beneath the structure. Tokyo researchers believe that it was in this earlier building that Augustus died.
Radiocarbon dating and analysis of the volcanic pumice that covered the previous building showed that this building was still functional in the first half of the 1st century AD and was buried by volcanic material from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
For the first time, there is evidence of a building on the north side of Vesuvius that is chronologically aligned with Augustus’ villa.
Among the ruins of the building, archaeologists have identified a kiln-like structure, possibly associated with a bathhouse of some kind. Dating the charcoal in the structure showed that the villa was inhabited in the first half of the first century, but also that the use of the furnace was discontinued at some point after Rome’s first emperor Augustus’ death. This is consistent with accounts in the historical literature detailing the posthumous disuse of his villa.
While the latest results offer promising clues, further research will be needed to pinpoint the exact location of the emperor’s villa.
The latest findings contradict the traditional view that the northern slopes of Vesuvius suffered only minor damage from the 79 AD eruption and were less affected than settlements on the southeast side, such as Pompeii.