Ancient Roman firefighters' barracks may have been found near Colosseum

Archaeologists have discovered a second-century building near the Colosseum that may have been a barracks for ancient Roman firefighters, the Vigiles.

Archaeologists have uncovered a second-century building with ​mosaics and frescoes near the Colosseum that ​may have been barracks used ‌by ​ancient Roman firefighters, the city's archaeological office said on Wednesday. Five of the building's eight rooms have been fully excavated in the Villa ‌Celimontana park, a former noble residence dating back to the 16th century on the Caelian Hill, one of the seven hills of ancient Rome.

Archaeologists found a mosaic depicting a dolphin, a ‌fish, a lobster and a crab surrounding a large two-handled vase, as well as the remains ‌of a painted ceiling decorated with large red and blue circles. The mosaic's design closely resembles one previously discovered in a firefighters' barracks in Ostia, the ancient port of Rome, about 30 km (19 miles) from the capital, ⁠the archaeological ​office said.

This suggests the ⁠building may have belonged to the nearby barracks of the Fifth Cohort of the Vigiles, the firefighters of ancient ⁠Rome, the office, known as the superintendency, noted. "If this hypothesis is confirmed, the discovery would ​help reassess the extent of one of the most important military complexes of imperial Rome," ⁠the statement said.

Under the Roman Empire, the Vigiles were responsible for firefighting and maintaining public order at night. ⁠Their barracks ​next to the building in Villa Celimontana used water from a nearby aqueduct. However, an alternative hypothesis is that archaeologists have uncovered a patrician residence, or domus, similar to ⁠many others found atop the Caelian Hill. The presence of sophisticated decorations would back this interpretation.

"Only a ⁠thorough study of ⁠the excavation materials and the structures exposed will provide further information on the newly discovered structure," the superintendency said. The excavations were funded by ‌EU post-COVID ‌economic recovery funds.