For more than 20 years, archaeologists did not dare to remove a rare ancient Roman safe chest from the ground (5 photos)

In 1994, in central Spain, next to an ancient Roman temple dedicated to Mithras, the Indo-Iranian deity of friendship and harmony, archaeologists discovered the ruins of an ancient Roman villa, which was called Cassa del Mitreo. Built at the end of the 1st century, the villa was rebuilt and reconstructed several times until it was destroyed by a severe fire in the 4th century.





In one of the rooms, archaeologists discovered the remains of a large wooden chest, bound with copper and iron plates. In ancient Rome, such chests served as a kind of safes, where the owners kept the most valuable things: documents, money, jewelry, expensive fabrics, etc.



The dimensions of the chest are impressive - about 3 by 1.5 meters. This is the largest such find. Others were almost half the size. However, only 4 other copies are known. Of these, 3 chests were found in Pompeii, where the ashes of Vesuvius reliably preserved their shape, and another was discovered in Tarazona, in northeastern Spain.







The main problem for archaeologists was the possibility of preserving the discovered chest. The fact is that in a fire that happened more than 1500 years ago, it was severely damaged by fire. All this had the worst impact on the safety of the artifact, and in 1994, experts did not dare to remove it from the ground. They feared not only that they would not be able to get it intact, but also that they would not be able to properly preserve the decayed wood. At that time, it was decided to leave the chest in its place until better times. It is worth noting here that in archeology, this is a common practice. When scientists cannot guarantee the proper result, they leave the find in the same conditions as the most suitable.



For more than 20 years, the chest was in its place, waiting for the hour when it could be removed. This happened in 2017, when a comprehensive conservation project for the villa was developed. During this time, more advanced technologies appeared and the chest was safely removed and taken to the Institute of Cultural Heritage of Spain, where the wood and metal parts were stabilized and preserved. The press release is silent about whether there was anything inside the chest, but most likely the owners saved its contents first.

By the way, as for the owners, scientists were unable to establish with absolute certainty who owned the villa. But given its area of ​​more than 3,000 sq/m, 15 rooms on two floors, a large bathroom and kitchen, we can confidently speak of a wealthy family who most likely engaged in trade. Times go by, but the ways of earning money do not change.