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ARCHAEOLOGY

‘Archaeological enigma’ accidentally uncovered in Rome during routine works

Archaeologists have been left at a loss by the discovery of some mysterious ruins in Rome, which could be the remains of one of the city's earliest churches.

Published: 17 July 2018 12:00 CEST
'Archaeological enigma' accidentally uncovered in Rome during routine works
The elaborately patterned floor has led to several theories. Photo: Soprintendenza Speciale Roma

The find was made at Ponte Milvio, a bridge along the River Tiber in the northern part of the city. And it came about completely by chance while electrical technicians, who were laying cables along the site, uncovered remains of buildings dating back to between the first and fourth century AD.

Rome's Archaeological Superintendency called the discovery “an archaeological enigma shrouded in mystery”.

Want more archaeology stories? Keep up to date with our dedicated archaeology section.

The mysterious site. Photo: Soprintendenza Speciale Roma

READ ALSO: Archaeologists just found a medieval horse's head at the Colosseum

Part of these remains look likely to have been used as a warehouse, but it's an older building on the higher level that has presented archaeologists with a mystery.

Coloured marbles sourced from north Africa were used in the building's floors and walls, suggesting that it served an important purpose either for a Roman noble family or for the local community.

And its location close to an early cemetery has led to a theory that it could also be an early religious site, possibly one of Rome's very first churches, although there were no signs of an altar or religious decoration.

The superintendency confirmed that it was looking into the hypotheses that the remains belonged to “a Roman villa or a Christian place of worship”.

It's not uncommon for workers to stumble across ancient ruins or remains during routine excavations, as was the case with this find. Work on the capital's Metro line C was repeatedly delayed by workers coming across centuries-old ruins, including Rome's oldest aqueduct, and an ancient Roman bath house and tombs were unearthed during works on a new church.

READ ALSO: McDonald's opens restaurant-museum over ancient Roman road

 

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ROME

Did you know: Rome wasn’t Italy’s first capital city?

With its prestigious history, famous landmarks and breathtaking art, Rome is known all over the world as Italy's capital. But was it always that way?

Published: 8 March 2024 15:55 CET
Did you know: Rome wasn't Italy's first capital city?

Rome is often one of the first cities to crop up when thinking of European capitals, and it’s easy to see why: its multiple treasures, including the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona, make it one of the most instantly recognisable cities in Europe, if not in the world.

But Rome hasn’t always been Italy’s capital.

In fact, there have been two Italian capitals other than the Eternal City since Italy’s Unification in 1861: Turin and Florence.

Currently the capital of Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region, Turin’s tenure as the country’s capital was fairly short-lived.

The northern city first became capital of the Kingdom of Savoy in 1559, it then became the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1713 and eventually it became capital of the Kingdom of Italy on March 17th 1861, the day that marked the country’s unification.

Turin, Italy

A view of the Mole Antonelliana, one of Turin’s most recognisable landmarks. Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP

By 1865 however, Turin had already lost its capital status to Florence. 

The transition wasn’t exactly smooth though as the local population took to the streets to rebel against the decision on September 21st 1864. What followed is now known as the Turin massacre, in which around 60 civilians were killed.

Florence’s capital status was not long-lived either as in February 1871 – just six years after the transfer to the Tuscan city – Rome formally became the new capital of the Kingdom of Italy.

That’s not all however: a small town in southwestern Sicily claims to have been the first Italian capital as it was supposedly proclaimed so by Giuseppe Garibaldi – an Italian general that was among the leading contributors to Italy’s unification and the creation of the Kingdom of Italy – on May 14th 1860. The Sicilian town claims to have held the title for a day.

That said, according to history books, there have only been three capital cities in Italy: Turin, Florence and Rome.

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