Hadrian who ruled Rome as emperor for about 20 years had a lavish villa built about 20 miles East of Rome. The villa which is has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, has been undergoing new excavations since 2013.

The 2015 dig season yielded a number of unexpected artistic and architectural results, confirming archaeologist’s theories that lower-ranking villa residents performed their religious activities at the Lararium and lived or conducted business at the Macchiozzo.

Work at the Lararium revealed that this courtyard in front of a small temple may have been connected to slave quarters in the northernmost part of the villa. Stratigraphic analysis indicates it was abandoned two centuries earlier than other parts of the villa, later on becoming a dumping ground for architectural marble fragments from all over the villa.

Source: The Archaeology News Network: Hadrian’s Villa dig uncovers the art of ordinary spaces