Buzz
It is often said that in Rome, digging a hole almost guarantees an encounter with the past. This abundance of historical riches makes the entire country a treasure trove for archaeologists.
While new revelations about famous landmarks are always exciting, the true wealth of ancient Italy lies in the overlooked fragments of daily life. Celebrations, workshops, and tombs have left behind valuable insights—sometimes tragic—into the lives and deaths of the ancient Italians.
10. A Rarely Seen Sundial
Ancient devices that measured time using sunlight are known as sundials. A remarkable limestone version was discovered in 2017 during excavations at Interamna Lirenas, a Roman settlement located southeast of Rome.
The artifact was found face down in the amphitheater of the town, mostly intact, measuring 54 x 35 x 25 centimeters (21 x 13 x 10 in). In a hollow section, 11 engraved lines marked the hours, and three intersecting curves predicted the winter and summer solstices, along with the equinox.
Approximately 100 sundials of its kind exist, but this one joined a select group—those with inscriptions. The sundial revealed a political chapter in the town’s history. Carvings showed that a man named Marcus Novius Tubula commissioned it to commemorate his election to office. He later donated it to the town, likely placing it in a prominent, elevated spot.
The inscription also helped identify his position as a previously unknown plebeian tribune of Rome. Archaeologists are particularly amazed by its survival for 2,000 years. Even more remarkable is how it avoided destruction by looters who stripped the town for building materials during medieval times.
9. Discarded Baby Bones
An ancient Italian settlement known as Poggio Civitate once thrived in Tuscany. At its heart was an impressive pavilion, measuring 52 meters (170 ft) in length. Dating back to the seventh century BC, this open-air structure ironically produced everyday items such as roof tiles.
In 1983, a shocking discovery was made inside that challenged the romanticized view many hold of Tuscany’s past. Among the remains of butchered animals, two arm bones were found—likely belonging to a newborn infant, or possibly two separate infants.
The grim finds continued when a partial pelvis was uncovered in the same building in 2009. This too belonged to a child who had died shortly after birth. The workers in the pavilion were possibly lower-class laborers or slaves, whose deceased children wouldn’t have been given elaborate funerals—though a similarly treated arm bone was found elsewhere in Poggio Civitate.
In 1971, a different discovery was made in the home of a wealthy resident when a newborn’s arm was found among household refuse, swept into a corner. If the child belonged to high-status parents rather than to a servant, this could suggest that, at the time, the mourning rituals for babies may not have been as significant as those for adults.
8. The True Age of Rome
Rome is celebrated as one of the oldest cities in the world. According to legend, it was founded in 753 BC by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. However, at the Roman Forum, archaeologists uncovered new evidence that pushes the city's age back by 200 years, moving the foundation of Rome from myth into the realm of physical artifacts.
In 2014, an excavation in the Forum revealed the remains of a wall from 900 BC. Constructed from tufa limestone, it was accompanied by ancient pottery and grains. The ceramics provided a rough estimate of when the wall was built. The site has long been known for its remarkable discoveries from antiquity. During one such excavation, archaeologists were exploring the Lapis Niger when they stumbled upon the wall.
This wall may mark the earliest evidence of Rome’s settlement, but the Lapis Niger, a stone shrine, predates the Roman Empire by centuries. The location also yielded the lex sacra, a stone etched with Rome’s oldest-known Latin inscription, dating back to 565 BC.
7. A Fire-Frozen Building
In 2017, construction workers drilling near Rome's ancient Aurelian walls, intending to extend the metro line, made an unexpected discovery. During the excavation, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a building. It had collapsed during the third century, likely due to a devastating fire.
While the cause of the fire remains unknown, its heat preserved the details of the site in an extraordinary way. Investigators found everyday objects, such as a leg from a table or chair, a pair of tables, and wooden structures that could have been handrails.
The more remarkable finds included fragments of walls with frescoes in red tones. The second floor once featured a black-and-white mosaic, and a charred wooden ceiling—surprisingly rare in Rome—was also discovered. These preserved artifacts offer a rare, frozen moment of how people lived and the type of home they created.
The house is believed to have belonged to an aristocrat or perhaps was an extension of nearby military barracks. Tragically, the fire seems to have claimed one life, as the skeleton of a dog was found curled up among the debris.
6. Bodyguard Barracks
A year before the discovery of the fire-damaged home, metro construction workers encountered remnants of ancient Rome. This time, the excavation revealed multiple housing units, totaling 39 rooms and a corridor stretching 100 meters (328 ft), covering an area of 900 square meters (9,700 ft²).
The site is believed to have housed members of the Praetorian Guard, the elite soldiers entrusted with the emperor’s personal protection and acting as his private military force. The Praetorian Guard was established under Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, but these specific barracks would have served the bodyguards of Emperor Hadrian.
Dating back to the second century AD, the site is notable not only for its sheer scale but also for the fascinating artifacts discovered. The ruins yielded intricate floor mosaics, coins, jewelry, and human remains. Additionally, its proximity to four other Roman barracks solidifies the area’s role as a military enclave.
The discovery will not disrupt the metro’s construction but will be integrated into a modern station that will feature archaeological displays. This unique station, the first of its kind in Rome, will be located near the Colosseum.
5. A Misdiagnosis
The Basilica of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples has served as a resting place for royals and nobles. Among its notable occupants is the mummified body of a toddler, whose face bears distinctive holes that were long thought to be caused by smallpox.
This 500-year-old mummy was once regarded as the earliest known evidence of smallpox from the Italian Renaissance. Decades later, scientists reexamined the child’s remains in an attempt to confirm the findings from the 1980s. If the tests are positive, the child’s case could push the evidence of European smallpox back by a century, surpassing the 17th-century Lithuanian case that was previously believed to be the earliest in Europe.
In 2018, researchers revealed their findings, including the true cause of death. Their study found no trace of smallpox, but it did uncover a virus that still claims thousands of lives annually—hepatitis B.
The ancient two-year-old may no longer be considered the key evidence for determining the true age of smallpox. Instead, it provides evidence that the deadly hepatitis B virus has been affecting humans for at least 500 years, though some experts believe its origins date back thousands of years.
4. A Grave Older Than Roman Pompeii
Pompeii, infamous for its destruction in AD 79 when Mount Vesuvius erupted, was not always a Roman city. In 2015, while excavating near the Herculaneum Gate, archaeologists made an unexpected discovery.
Despite the heavy bombing during World War II, one grave remained untouched. It belonged to a Samnite woman in her late thirties. When she passed away in the fourth century BC, Pompeii was under the control of her people.
The Samnites were an Italic tribe who had overtaken the city a century before from the Oscan people, the original founders. The Oscans traced their roots to prehistoric groups from Italy’s Campania region. Pompeii itself was established during the sixth or seventh century BC. In 80 BC, the Romans seized control by force.
The grave’s remarkable preservation indicates that Roman citizens were aware of it and chose to leave it undisturbed. This tomb holds great historical value due to its rarity. The amphorae within the grave were not from the local area, suggesting that the Samnites were engaged in extensive trade across the peninsula.
Researchers are optimistic that a deeper examination of the site will reveal more insights about this ancient tribe, their women, and burial customs.
3. The Boathouse Refugees
Herculaneum, a popular resort for affluent Romans, met the same tragic fate as its neighboring town, Pompeii. Before the eruption, around 300 people—men, women, and children—sought refuge in the town's boathouses near the beach. They stayed there for almost 12 hours, likely believing they were safe.
However, Vesuvius unleashed a surge of superheated ash and gas, rushing down the slopes and into the shelters. Tragically, the entire group was instantly incinerated. A surprising detail emerged when researchers revisited the skeletons found at the site.
Excavated in the 1980s and 1990s, a more recent analysis of the remains revealed that many were positioned as though at ease, with no sign of fear or suffering. This indicated that they perished so swiftly that they never had time to react. Yet, the injuries were horrifying.
The victims succumbed first to heat shock. Such extreme heat leaves distinct traces on the body. Damaged bones and eroded tooth enamel pointed to a blast of 500 degrees Celsius (932 °F). This intense heat vaporized their flesh, shattered skulls, and created gaping holes in others. Ironically, the pyroclastic flow caused little damage to the town itself.
2. Ancestor Of Venice
Long before Venice’s rise, there was an ancient city on the Italian mainland—Altinum. Situated some distance from the modern-day city, it was established in the first century BC. Though known through some historical mentions and limited excavations, it wasn’t until 2007, during a drought, that archaeologists seized the opportunity to fully map the site for the first time.
Beneath the modern-day crops, any plants growing above the ruins showed greater water stress. However, those over the old canals of Altinum thrived better. Using aerial photography, archaeologists were able to trace the outline of every building, revealing the layout of the ancient city.
The discoveries pointed to a complex Roman city. Researchers uncovered the foundations of streets, residential quarters, large monuments, and city walls with impressive gates. There was also evidence of a harbor and intricate canal systems.
Experts suggest that the residents’ expertise in thriving within a lagoon environment was key to their survival and played a pivotal role in the creation of Venice. The famous canal city, which stretches across several islands near the Adriatic Sea, evolved from the convergence of various migrant groups from nearby coastal settlements. Altinum certainly stands as one of these ‘foundational cities.’
During the fifth to seventh centuries AD, the people of Altinum fled their city to escape invading barbarian forces. The attackers, unfamiliar with the island’s aquatic terrain, struggled to adapt, while the people of Altinum, using their knowledge of such environments, endured and ultimately contributed to the colonization of the lagoon.
1. Rare Finds At Circus Maximus
Once the heart of ancient Rome’s entertainment scene, the Circus Maximus eventually fell into neglect. Where once chariot races and animal hunts drew massive crowds, the once-vibrant space was overtaken by fields, and the ruins became littered with needles, remnants of modern decay.
In order to restore the 2,000-year-old Circus, authorities launched a six-year restoration project. This endeavor, which concluded in 2016, revealed several new discoveries at the famed landmark. Excavations uncovered public latrines, seating areas, and the marble remnants of an arch that once soared 10 meters (33 ft) high.
The project also allowed researchers to document ancient renovations that had occurred at various points in history, particularly after the devastating fire of AD 64. Among the artifacts unearthed were a large collection of coins (approximately 1,000) and a precious glass fragment.
The shard, originating from a goblet, contained the sole evidence of the equine entertainment that once thrilled the crowds. It depicted a victorious horse, with the name 'Numitor' inscribed beneath the image of the prancing steed. This artifact, believed to represent a horse that may have raced in the Circus centuries ago, will now serve as the new symbol of the Circus Maximus.
