BBC cameras return to the world-famous archaeological site.

Following the success of last year’s three-part series Pompeii: The New Dig, BBC cameras return to the world-famous archaeological site to exclusively capture the archaeologists at work as a series of extraordinary new finds come to light.

A new one-hour episode of Pompeii: The New Dig reveals the latest findings as the biggest archaeological dig in Pompeii for a generation reaches its climax. Told through the drama of the dig and stylised fresco-inspired animations, House of Treasures continues to paint a vivid picture of what life was like in Pompeii, as well as the horror faced by the residents as the volcano erupted in AD 79. House of Treasures will air on BBC Two & iPlayer on Monday 20 January at 9pm.

Dr Sophie Hay, Archaeologist, Pompeii, says: "Watching this dig unfold has brought the past back to life. It has really put a microscope on the contrasting lives of the Romans who lived and worked in these properties.”

In this new episode the focus of the excavation moves from a cluster of commercial buildings, which include a lucrative bakery and stylish laundry, to an adjacent luxurious residence, possibly owned by Pompeiian big-wig and local politician Aulus Rustius Verus. Set away from the noisy streets, his peaceful and opulent dwelling is one of the most glamorous in Pompeii.

With the cameras exclusively capturing the archaeologists at work as extraordinary new finds come to light, this episode builds a picture of the upper-class life enjoyed by the owners - in stark contrast to the living conditions of the enslaved workers next door, highlighted in the previous episodes.

 The first finds from this wealthy residence have already made headlines – including some astonishing frescoes in the banqueting room known as the ‘Black Room’. The archaeologists now reveal the full extent of its elaborate mosaic floor, imagining the lavish banquets the owners would have hosted in their house and illustrated with rare examples of fine tableware preserved in the site’s store rooms.

In a nearby small room, the team make another extraordinary discovery: the body of a woman, crouched on the floor, clutching a pouch containing pearl earrings and gold coins, possessions worth thousands of pounds in today’s money. To learn more about the room, the team use plaster casts of the cavities in the ash to reproduce the shapes of the furniture that filled the room: a chest, a bed and a small table. On top of the table, a marble slab on which stood objects from everyday life - bottles, pots and plates.

Not far from the small room, the cameras follow the archaeological team as they unearth an incredible suite of rooms:  Aulus Rustius Verus’ private spa.  A tiled roof in a remarkable state of preservation, which would have hung over a courtyard supported by columns, is revealed.  As the team clear the courtyard from the pumice and the columns and walls are unearthed, frescos of athletes emerge to suggest this courtyard might have been an open-air private gym.

Not far from the courtyard gym, the team uncover the spa’s mind-blowing network of lead pipes, a 2000-year-old heating system built around technology still recognisable today. This room would have been the pulsing engine of a private bath complex.

 As the dig continues next to the gym, there’s further evidence of a private spa - a changing room, a warm room or tepidarium and a hot room or caldarium, whilst at the centre of the gym courtyard a plunge pool comes to light. 

 Private baths were a rarity in Pompeii, reserved only for the rich, and the perfect place to entertain and impress important guests, the crème de la crème of society.

As the archaeologists continue to expose the extent of Aulus’ affluent residence, in the small room where the woman with the pearl earrings was found, another dramatic discovery is made: a second victim, this time a man, who died under a collapsing wall. The analysis of his bones reveals he was most likely an enslaved worker, whereas the woman was in good health which in Roman times meant she was likely wealthy leaving open the possibility that she could have been Aulus’ wife.

Who were these people and why did they stay behind when so many fled? The team in Pompeii hope to piece together their identities as they continue to build a picture of one of the wealthiest houses in town and those living there.