A team of archeologists recently made a significant discovery while working on a site in the coastal city of Durres, Albania. They found ruins of an Ancient Roman villa with accompanying amenities, including an indoor pool.
According to a Facebook post shared by Albania’s National Institute of Cultural Heritage, the indoor pool is “first of its kind” discovered in Albania while the area features a surface decorated with “colorful artistic high level fresco”.
“The uniqueness of this structure also lies in its floor laid with a very well-preserved mosaic, with geometric motifs, worked with marble, stone, glass and ceramic tiles. Near the pool, a hydraulic monument consisting of two shallow bathtubs layered with waterproofing loops has been discovered, “wrote Albania’s National Institute of Cultural Heritage on social media.
Archeologists believe that the villa was constructed in the 1st or 2nd century AD. It was most likely destroyed in the 4th century AD by an earthquake that struck the area, according to ancient sources.
Durres was founded in the 7th century BC by colonists from Ancient Greece. It was later conquered by Ancient Romans and became an integral part of the Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire, serving as an important port and starting point of the Roman road Via Egnatia.