The Surgeon's House in Rimini

The Surgeon's House in Rimini

"The Surgeon's House " was inaugurated on 7 December 2007. The important archaeological complex, situated in Piazza Ferrari, was discovered in 1989 and presented to the city of Rimini after 18 years of excavation and conservation activities.

The archaeological area covering more than 700 square metres includes many different building elements, among which the most interesting is the so-called Surgeon's House (Domus) . This was a residential building of the roman period , built during the second half of the 2nd century A.D.

Other finds of great archaeological interest were unearthed: remains of buildings dating probably to the Late Republic period, traces of an Early Medieval settlement as well as a burial ground. The complex provide us with an exceptional example of historical and urban stratification.

With a great deal of care and patience, the archaeologists of Rimini, lead by Jacopo Ortalli, Director in charge of the excavations, have brought to light a singular historical patrimony.

The two-storey Surgeon's House, was situated directly on the Adriatic seacoast, which at that time , was more than 1 km further inland than in the present day.
The large number of unearthed remains and mosaics are of great interest. Well preserved, the remains have allowed a true reconstruction of the House, its owner and its long and fascinating history.

The most extraordinary discovery is the collection of 150 surgical instruments. They leave us no doubt as to the profession of the owner: a medical doctor. It would seem that his name was Eutyches, probably of Greek origin and, as was common in ancient times, he would probably have been trained in a military environment. In fact, the specificity of the surgical instruments unearthed were mostly for use in cases of bone traumas and wounds, thus testifying that Eutyches was a military doctor.

The House had baked clay walls and a stone base. An inner corridor led onto a garden on one side, and on other side, onto several rooms. There was a dining room (triclinium), a bedroom (cubiculum) and two living rooms. One of these had a fine mosaic floor with Orpheus surrounded by animals. This was the room where the surgeon looked after and operated on his patients, very similar to a modern infirmary. There were also other service rooms: a heated area (hypocaust), a latrine and on the upper floor a kitchen with pantry.
The sudden collapse of the walls, probably caused by fire occurred during the second half of the 2nd century A.D, preserved fittings, furnishings and mosaics.
When visiting the Surgeon's House you can admire the beauty of the mosaic floorings on site; while the collection of surgical instruments is preserved in the Rimini Archaeological Museum.