Spectacular new developments include a private spa

A find hidden under meters of volcanic rock and ash for 2,000 years was discovered in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.

Archaeologists discovered a lavish private bathhouse – potentially the largest ever found there – complete with hot, warm and cold rooms, exquisite artwork and a huge pool.

The spa complex is located in the heart of the grand residence, which was discovered in the last two years during major excavations.

“It’s these spaces that are really part of the ‘Pompeii effect’ – it’s almost as if people left just a minute ago,” says Dr Gabriel Zuchtrigel, director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park, who exclusively revealed the new find to BBC News.

Analysis of the two skeletons found in the house also shows the horror the people of Pompeii faced when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79.

The bodies belonged to a woman between the ages of 35 and 50 who was clutching jewelry and coins, and a younger man in his late teens or early 20s.

They barricaded themselves in a small room, but were killed when a tsunami of superheated volcanic gas and ash – known as a pyroclastic flow – swept through the city.

“It’s a dramatic place, and everything you find here speaks of drama,” says Pompeii conservator Dr. Ludovico Ales.

A third of the ancient city is still hidden beneath volcanic debris from the disaster, but new excavations – the largest in a generation – are providing new insights into life among ancient Romans.

The archaeologists were followed by a BBC and Lion TV documentary team for a series entitled Pompeii: New Excavations.

An entire quarter of Pompeii has now been discovered, showing a laundry and a bakery, as well as a large private house. It is believed that they all belonged to one rich man, possibly Aulus Rustius Verus, an influential politician in Pompeii.

The opening of the bathhouse is another confirmation of its elite status, says Dr. Zuchtrigel.

“There are only a few houses that have a private bath complex, so it was something really for the richest of the rich,” he says. “And it’s so huge – it’s probably the biggest bath complex in a private house in Pompeii.”

Those lucky enough to use the bathrooms would undress in a changing room with bright red walls and a mosaic floor studded with geometric patterns inlaid with marble from across the Roman Empire.

They would then head to the hot room, soak in the tub, and enjoy the sauna-like heat provided by a suspended floor that allowed hot air to flow from below and cavity walls where the heat could circulate.

They then moved into a brightly painted, warm room where the oil was rubbed into the skin before it was scraped off with a curved tool called a strigil.

Finally, they enter the largest and most spectacular room of all – the frigidarium, or cold room. Surrounded by red columns and frescoes with images of athletes, the visitor could refresh himself in the pool, which was so large that it could accommodate 20-30 people.

“In the hot summer, you can sit with your feet in the water, chat with friends, maybe drink a glass of wine,” says Dr. Zuchtrigel.

The bathhouse is the last find from this unusual house.

Last year, a huge banquet hall with black walls and breathtaking works of classical scenes was discovered. A smaller, more intimate room – painted pale blue – was also found where the residents of the house went and prayed to the gods.

The residence was in the middle of renovations – tools and building materials were found everywhere. In the blue room, there is a pile of oyster shells on the floor, which must be crushed and applied to the walls to give them a iridescent sheen.

Next to this beautiful room, in a cramped room with almost all kinds of decorations, a dramatic discovery was made – the remains of two residents of Pompeii who could not escape the eruption.

A woman’s skeleton was found lying on a bed, curled up in the fetal position. In the corner of this small room lay the body of a man.

“A pyroclastic flow from Vesuvius was coming down the street in the immediate vicinity of this room and caused the wall to collapse, and that effectively crushed him to death,” explains Dr. Sophie Hay, an archaeologist at Pompeii.

“The woman was still alive when he was dying – imagine the trauma – and then that room was filled with the rest of the pyroclastic flow and that’s how she died.”

Analysis of the man’s skeleton showed that despite his young age, his bones showed signs of wear and tear, suggesting he was of lower status and may have even been a slave.

The woman was older, but her bones and teeth were in good condition.

“She must have held a higher position in society,” says Dr. Hay. “She could have been the wife of the owner of the house – or maybe a maid who took care of the wife, we just don’t know.”

An assortment of objects were found on a marble tabletop in the room – glassware, bronze jugs and pottery – possibly brought into the room where the couple hid in the hope of waiting out the eruption.

But the objects held by the victims are of particular interest. The younger man had the keys, and the older woman had gold and silver coins and jewelry.

They are kept in Pompeii’s vault, along with the city’s other priceless finds, and we were given the opportunity to see them with archaeologist Dr. Alessandro Russo.

The gold coins still sparkle like new, and he shows us earrings made of fine gold and natural pearls, necklace pendants and intricately engraved semi-precious stones.

“When we find such an object, the distance between antiquity and modernity disappears,” says Dr. Rousseau, “and we can touch a small part of the lives of these people who died during the eruption.”

Dr Sophie Hay describes the private bath complex as a once-in-a-century discovery that also sheds more light on the dark side of Roman life.

The boiler room is right behind the boiler. Water came from the street through a pipe – part of it was siphoned into a cold pool, and the rest was heated in a lead boiler intended for a hot room. The flow control valves look so modern that even today they can be turned on and off.

With the furnace below, the conditions in this room would have been unbearably hot for the slaves who had to maintain the entire system.

“The strongest thing about these excavations is the sharp contrast between the lives of slaves and the very, very rich. And here we see it,” says Dr. Sophie Hay.

“The difference between the luxurious life of the bath compared to the furnace where the slaves fed the fire all day.

“A wall is anything that can separate you between two different worlds.”

Excavations are coming to an end, but new discoveries continue to emerge from the ashes. A limited number of visitors can visit the excavations while they are in progress, but eventually they will be fully open to the public.

“Every day here is a surprise,” says Dr. Anna Onesti, director of the excavations.

“Sometimes I come to work in the morning thinking it’s a normal day at work, and then I find out we’ve found something exceptional.

“This is a magical moment in the life of Pompeii, and these excavations give us the opportunity to share it with the public.”