Archaeologists in the Albanian city of Durrës excavated an ancient Roman villa with an indoor pool. According to archaeologists, the 1600-year-old indoor pool is the first of its kind.
In a Facebook post dated May 9, the Albanian National Institute of Cultural Heritage said archaeologists uncovered a distinguished ancient Roman quarter while excavating ahead of the construction of a school in Durrës.
Photo: Albania’s National Institute of Cultural Heritage
Among the remains of an ancient Roman villa are traces of an indoor pool decorated with well-preserved mosaics, the institute said.
Photo: Albania’s National Institute of Cultural Heritage
The remains are at least 1,600 years old and date to between 1 and 400 AD, the institute said, adding that recent excavations uncovered two shallow bathtubs with waterproof mortar coatings.
Photo: Albania’s National Institute of Cultural Heritage
In another part of the site, a large brick floor and several walls that may be the remains of a two-story ancient Roman bathhouse were uncovered, the institute said in a statement.
Archaeologists believe that this villa, mentioned in ancient sources, was destroyed by an earthquake in the 4th century AD.
Photo: Albania’s National Institute of Cultural Heritage
The excavations also uncovered wall fragments, ceilings and tile mosaics.
Durrës, located on the Adriatic Sea coast in western Albania, was founded as a Greek colony in 627 BC.
An important trade center and port city in ancient times, Durrës was under the rule of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.
Cover photo: Albania’s National Institute of Cultural Heritage
