Japanese researchers identify lost villa of Roman Emperor Augustus in Italy

• Published date: 23 April 2024
• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Augustus, credited as the founder of the empire, was Roman emperor from 27 BC until he died in AD 14

Found in the town of Somma Vesuviana inside the city of Naples, the villa was originally discovered alongside many others belonging to the Roman elite in the 1930s. However, the Villa of Augustus has been subject to specific archaeological investigations since 2002.

While the building in question was thought to have been built in 2 AD, after the reign of Augustus, recent research has found traces of a much older building that dates back to Augustus's period of rule. Archaeologists used radiocarbon dating and chemical analysis of the volcanic layers covering the earlier building, which confirmed that the building predates the Vesuvian eruption in 79 AD.

Excavations of the building uncovered pieces of collapsed walls and roof tiles, which were destroyed as the volcanic material traveled down the northern...