Cool Finds

This Marine-Life Mosaic Discovered Near the Colosseum Offers a Surprising Clue—Its Building May Have Housed Firefighters in Ancient Rome

At the time of the structure’s construction in the second century C.E., firefighting in ancient Rome was a formalized profession

Ryley Graham | Correspondent

August 6, 2026 3:51 p.m.

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Italy’s Ministry of Culture announced this week the excavation of an eight-room building adorned with whimsical mosaics and delicate frescoes on Rome’s Caelian Hill, near the Colosseum. While the building’s extravagant decor originally gave the impression of an aristocratic residence, further examination suggested another possibility—that it could have been a barracks for ancient Rome’s firefighters.

“Rome continues to amaze us, returning testimonies capable of expanding our knowledge of the ancient city,” Daniela Porro, special superintendent of Rome, says in a statement.

The building, which appears to have been constructed in the second century C.E. and renovated in the third century, contained a marine-life mosaic depicting a lobster, dolphin, fish and crab. This aquatic theme is a clue that the structure might not have been a typical residence.

“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,” Rome’s archaeological office says, reports Sara Rossi for Reuters.

Ostia’s Caserma dei Vigili firefighter barracks were first excavated in the late 19th century and have contributed to researchers’ knowledge about the fire brigades, called vigiles, of ancient Rome.

As Augustus made reforms to the city of Rome, he organized a fire brigade in 21 B.C.E., composed of about 600 enslaved people, writes Mark Cartwright for World History Encyclopedia. They worked under the charge of aediles, elected officials tasked with supervising Rome’s public infrastructure and traffic and with preventing fires. After a bad fire in 6 C.E., Augustus created a more organized regiment of professional vigiles with seven squads of 1,000 firefighters each.

“The primary duty of the Roman vigiles was to combat fires, but they also maintained order during the night,” wrote Elmedin Salihagic for The Collector. “Their guard stations, known as excubitoria, were strategically placed throughout all parts of Rome, enabling them to respond quickly in cases of fire or civil unrest.”

These firefighters used tools including buckets, hooks, pick-axes, ladders and ropes. To suppress flames, they assembled bucket brigades and used pumps to apply water drawn from public fountains. They also covered fires with blankets soaked in water or vinegar.

Once seen as an undesirable career, the vigiles came to earn a better reputation over time, particularly with the addition of a regular salary, called a stipendium, and a path to Roman citizenship for those who served. Evidence suggests after several years of service, vigiles received free grain supplied by the emperor.

By the time the newly discovered building on Caelian Hill was under construction in the second century, successive emperors had expanded the vigiles into a network in other cities, including Ostia and Puteoli, per World History Encyclopedia. Carthage, Lyon, Ravenna and Constantinople were known to have their own fire brigades.

If the discovery this week is confirmed to be a barracks for the vigiles, archaeologists expect it to shed new light on some of the world’s oldest professional firefighters.

“The most delicate and complex phase begins now,” says Simona Morretta, scientific director of the excavation, in the statement. “Analysis of the structures, materials, and context will allow us to verify the various interpretative hypotheses and understand the building’s true function.”

Ryley Graham is a freelance journalist based in New York City. Her work has appeared in outlets such as National Geographic, Earth Island Journal and USA Today.