Cool Finds

Archaeologists in Pompeii Discover Ancient Bench Where Hopeful Clients Waited to Be Seen by an Elite Roman

The seat is across from the entrance to the Villa of the Mysteries, a large property full of beautiful frescoes located just outside the ancient city’s walls

Sonja Anderson | Daily Correspondent

September 26, 2025

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At the entrance of a famous villa in Pompeii, researchers have excavated an ancient “waiting bench” where clients sat anticipating a meeting with the master of the house. The discovery suggests that some visitors became impatient as they waited, scratching graffiti into nearby walls.

According to a statement from the Archaeological Park of Pompeii, the bench was built along a public walkway beside the Villa of the Mysteries. This large residence is located in the outskirts of Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried by volcanic material from Mount Vesuvius’ eruption in 79 C.E.

The villa is filled with detailed frescoes, some of which may depict a cult ritual dedicated to Dionysus, the god of wine, vegetation and fertility. The frescoes date to the first century B.C.E., and historians think the villa’s original owner was a high-ranking military official.

The complex was found in 1909, but recent excavations unearthed additional discoveries at the site. Archaeologists found the house’s original monumental entrance, as well as a bench across from it, providing new insights into what life was like for the master of the Villa of the Mysteries.

The villa’s owner was likely an upper-class Roman who would have received visitors each morning, says Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the park, in the statement. These meetings happened “within the framework of the social ritual known as the salutatio,” as La Brújula Verde’s Guillermo Carvajal writes. Clients of lower status would come to the houses of elites to ask for favors, legal help or financial assistance. In exchange, they offered their political support.

Clients who went to the Villa of the Mysteries wouldn’t have known for sure whether the owner would see them, Zuchtriegel adds. Despite this uncertainty, they would have approached the villa on Via Superior, a street paved in lava stone, and waited near the arched entrance.

Across from the arch is a bench made of cocciopesto, a water-resistant building material common in ancient Rome. According to an article published in the journal Scavi di Pompei, this is where hopeful visitors would have rested. Similar structures have been found near the entrances of other large homes in Pompeii.

On the wall beside the bench outside the Villa of the Mysteries, someone used charcoal to write a short message. It contains a date without a year, as well as letters that may spell a name. As the researchers write in the journal, someone likely made the graffiti to pass the time.

Located outside Pompeii’s walls, the Villa of the Mysteries “miraculously sustained only minor damage in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius,” according to Artnet’s Richard Whiddington. In addition to the villa’s entrance and bench, the recent excavations revealed paintings with black and yellow backgrounds, as well as parts of a servants’ quarters. Researchers hope to continue studying these quarters during future excavations.

Sonja Anderson | Read More

Sonja Anderson is a writer and reporter based in Chicago.