Ancient Roman firefighters' barracks discovered near the Colosseum

Archaeologists have uncovered a second-century building with mosaics and frescoes near the Colosseum that may have been barracks used by ancient Roman firefighters, the city's archaeological office said on Wednesday.

Five of the building's eight rooms have been fully excavated in the Villa Celimontana park, a former noble residence dating back to the 16th century on the Caelian Hill, one of the seven hills of ancient Rome.

Archaeologists found a mosaic depicting a dolphin, a fish, a lobster and a crab surrounding a large two-handled vase, as well as the remains of a painted ceiling decorated with large red and blue circles.

The mosaic's design closely resembles one previously discovered in a firefighters' barracks in Ostia, the ancient port of Rome, about 30 km (19 miles) from the capital, the archaeological office said.

This suggests the building may have belonged to the nearby barracks of the Fifth Cohort of the Vigiles, the firefighters of ancient Rome, the office, known as the superintendency, noted.

"If this hypothesis is confirmed, the discovery would help reassess the extent of one of the most important military complexes of imperial Rome," the statement said.

Under the Roman Empire, the Vigiles were responsible for firefighting and maintaining public order at night. Their barracks next to the building in Villa Celimontana used water from a nearby aqueduct.

However, an alternative hypothesis is that archaeologists have uncovered a patrician residence, or domus, similar to many others found atop the Caelian Hill. The presence of sophisticated decorations would back this interpretation.

"Only a thorough study of the excavation materials and the structures exposed will provide further information on the newly discovered structure," the superintendency said.

The excavations were funded by EU post-COVID economic recovery funds.

-Reporting by Sara Rossi; Editing by Alvise Armellini and Janet Lawrence/Reuters