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A transatlantic investigation allowed the Italian authorities to recover in 2015 a priceless collection of frescoes and other artifacts that were illegally exported to the United States more than 50 years ago. Among the recovered treasures there are three frescoes from Pompeii – a city covered with volcanic ash on Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.
The aura of secrecy widens around the tombstone excavated in 2015 in the west of England during construction work in Cirencester. According to scientists, the skeleton underneath the tombstone has no connection with the stone slab. The tombstone was made of limestone and was found in front of the grave where the skeleton was lying.
The remains of one of the most prestigious seaside villas from Roman times were reopened to the public in 2015. The monument is located on an uninhabited island – Giannutri – near the Tuscan coast and has been inaccessible to the public for over 15 years.
The ancient underground tunnel (connecting the Colosseum with the gladiators’ school) and the gladiatorial barracks will probably be renovated thanks to a grant from Kuwait (information for 2015). Generations of gladiators lived and trained in Ludus Magnus, the largest such structure in Rome, which was located just a few hundred meters from the amphitheatre. The remains of the building are still visible – squeezed between two crowded streets, in the shadow of the Colosseum, often covered with rubbish.
Rome’s Piazza Augusto Imperatore, the famous square that houses the Mausoleum of Emperor Augustus and which is a few steps from Ara Pacis, will be rebuilt. The project provides for archaeological works, including the renovation of the Mausoleum, which was built in 28 BCE and was closed to tourists for years.
A gold ring containing a stone engraved with the image of Cupid, the Roman god of love, was found in 2015 by a metal detector enthusiast near the English village of Tangley.
A Greco-Roman necropolis was discovered during an illegal excavation outside the mansion in Alexandria in 2015. Egyptian Minister of Antiquities, Mamdouh Eldamaty, claims that a number of graves have been found, among which treasure hunters have discovered a collection of artifacts: 20 clay lamps and an even greater number of clay pots and 18 glass bottles. Such an amount of clay objects proves a well-developed pottery industry.
In 2015, scientists made an unusual discovery in the Jewish coastal city of Ashkelon. While searching the local sewage system, they noticed small bones. Initially, they were considered parts of chickens, but after research, human bones from Roman times were found. They are believed to be the remains of more than 100 infants.
The second triumphal arch of Emperor Titus was discovered in 2015 on the site of Circus Maximus, the oldest and largest circus of ancient Rome. Due to the lack of money for its full extraction, the monument will soon be buried under the ground and will wait for better times.
