'Exceptional' Find May Change How We Think About Ancient Rome

6th-century BC home may prove city was bigger than thought: archaeologists
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 10, 2015 11:13 AM CDT
'Exceptional' Find May Change How We Think About Ancient Rome
An archaeologist watches a sixth-century BC residence yesterday that was discovered in Rome.   (Angelo Carconi)

Archaeologists have discovered a sixth-century BC residence under a palazzo in central Rome, saying that it proves the ancient city was much bigger than previously thought. Officials said yesterday that the area on the Quirinal Hill had long been thought to have only been used as a necropolis, with ancient Rome's residential zone further south and centered around the Roman Forum. But archaeologists excavating a palazzo on the hill said they discovered a well-preserved rectangular home, complete with wooden supports and a roof, proving that the area was also used for residential purposes.

There's some speculation that the structure could have been the home of the custodian to a nearby temple discovered in 2013, the Telegraph notes. The ANSA news agency quoted excavation chief Mirella Serlorenzi as saying the discovery "means that Rome at the start of the sixth century was much bigger than what we thought and wasn't just centered around the Forum." The superintendent for Rome's archaeological heritage adds, per the Telegraph: "This is an exceptional find, among the most important of the last 10 years." (A re-creation of the contraption that raised animals up into the Colosseum to fight debuted in June.)

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