Archaeologists have uncovered a second-century building adorned with mosaics and frescoes near Rome's Colosseum that may have served as barracks for the city's ancient firefighters, officials said 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.
