Discoveries and news in Rome

Archaeologists are conducting excavations on the outskirts of the French city of Vienne, in the southeast of the country. The researchers refer to the study area as ‘little Pompeii’.

Two Roman sarcophagi were accidentally found near a football stadium in Rome in 2017. The objects are made of marble and were probably the last resting place of the dead children of a wealthy Roman family.

In the ancient city of Volubilis, in northern Morocco, remains of a Roman watchtower were found, which was included in the defence system of Mauritania Tingitana, the westernmost Roman province.

An ancient Roman mosaic has been discovered in the Pausilypon Archaeological Park in Naples, which dates back to the end of the 1st century BCE. According to the researchers, the mosaic probably decorated the living room of a luxurious villa, which could have been owned by Publius Vedius Pollio himself. However, this is still only a hypothesis.

In 2017, scientists discovered the remains of a Roman settlement and burial sites in the English countryside of Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire.

A pair of treasure hunters have discovered nearly 2,000 Roman coins in a field in Cornwall, England. As it turned out, these are finds from the 3rd century CE.

In the sewers under the Colosseum, researchers found the remains of small dogs – up to 30 cm in height. According to specialists, the Romans could use such small dogs (similar in size to dachshunds) for example for acrobatic performances, hunting or fights with wild animals.

In 2017, in the necropolis of Beir Al-Shaghala (Egypt), in the Western Desert, five tombs from the Roman period of Egypt, made of mud and bricks, were discovered. The find was made by an Egyptian archaeological mission.

In 2017, the remains of a lost Roman city were discovered on the northeastern coast of Tunisia. The ruins are underwater.

In southern England, in Berkshire, a Roman mosaic has been discovered that shows the Greek hero Bellerophon riding a pegasus. It is one of the most interesting finds in Britain in the last 50 years.