Italian construction workers recently discovered the remains of an ancient laundry near the Vatican, authorities said.
The Italian Ministry of Culture announced the astonishing discovery in a press release on June 14. The discovery was made during construction work in Piazza del Pia, a Roman square that Italian authorities have made “pedestrianized.”
Photos from the site show archaeologists unearthing ancient tiled floors several feet below the surface, and buckets used for washing dirty clothes were also found at the site.
Excavators also found what appear to be pottery shards from the destroyed remains, and authorities also found a pit that may have once been used as a bathhouse.
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The remains of an ancient laundry were recently discovered in Rome, Italy. (Italian Ministry of Culture)
Italian authorities said in a statement that the site was likely built as an imperial residence, which they described as “a picturesque location with arcades, walkways and gardens” overlooking the Tiber.
Between the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the site was Fullonica – Or laundry.
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Construction workers stumbled upon ancient vases and tiles while excavating the square. (Italian Ministry of Culture)
According to the Encyclopedia of World History, ancient Roman laundresses used human and animal urine as a detergent, often collecting the ammonia-containing urine from public toilets.
“The urine was poured into a pail along with the clothing, and the fuller (or her slaves) stomped on the fabric, agitating it like a modern washing machine to remove dirt and odors,” the Encyclopedia of World History website explains.
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Aerial photos of the ruins show tiled floors and ancient washtubs. (Italian Ministry of Culture)
“The profession has continued to work in the same way, with the same cleaning agents, for hundreds of years, right up to modern times, when soap replaced urine after the fall of the Roman Empire.”
Romans brought their dirty laundry to the furronica and paid to have it washed, and although citizens generally despised the laundresses for their unsanitary methods, they were very well paid.
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Archbishop Rino Fisichella said in a statement that the recent discovery in Furonica ” [him] Back to the past.”
Construction workers discovered pottery fragments at the site of an ancient washhouse. (Italian Ministry of Culture)
“This part of Rome will once again be visible to all and as a citizen I can only express my deep gratitude,” he said.[The laundry room] It was a place where the people, the men and the women of that time came together.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Italian Ministry of Culture for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
