Roman construction site unearthed at Pompeii reveals ancient building techniques

A Roman construction site active in 79 AD has been discovered in Pompeii's Regio IX, insula 10, during new excavations. The site includes tools, tiles, tufa bricks, and lime piles, with evidence of ongoing renovations in the House of Rustius Verus, where a still-life fresco depicting a 'pizza' and wine glass was found in June 2023. The excavation revealed Roman numerals in charcoal on a tablinum door, a room decorated in Pompeian style with a painting of Achilles on Skyros. Similar traces were found in an adjacent house connected by an internal door, indicating another large construction project. The Pompeii Archaeological Park collaborated with MIT experts, who proposed the use of 'hot mixing'—mixing quicklime with dry pozzolana before hydration—for opus caementicium. Park director Gabriel Zuchtriegel noted that the use of quicklime in wall construction, previously hypothesized, would have accelerated building and repairs after earthquakes, such as the major 62 AD quake and subsequent tremors before the 79 AD eruption. The findings suggest widespread construction activity in Pompeii post-62 AD. The research aims to study Roman construction knowledge for modern sustainability and material reuse.