Excavations conducted as part of
work for the new C line of the Rome metro have uncovered
Pompeii-like finds including a dog's skeleton in the capital,
sources said Monday.
The dig has unearthed two spaces dating to the middle of the
imperial period which, due to a fire, feature well-conserved
parts of a wooden ceiling and furniture.
"The material is only conserved in exceptional environmental
and climatic conditions, or after special events like those that
took place at Herculaneum and Pompeii," said sources at Rome's
special superintendency.
"The discovery of a burned wooden ceiling is unique for the
city".
The excavation in via dell'Amba Aradam also found the
skeleton of the dog, curled up in front of a door and "likely
trapped inside the building at the time of the fire," sources
said.
The remains of a smaller animal, which have yet to be
identified, were also uncovered.
A fine black and white mosaic floor was also found.
"What makes this find resemble Pompeii is that we have
evidence of a moment in history," said the special
superintendent for the Colosseum and Rome's archaeological area,
Francesco Prosperetti,
"The fire that stopped life in this environment allows us to
imagine life at a precise moment".
The discovery has been dated to the period of Emperor Trajan
at the start of the second century AD, with some adjustments
that may have been made under his successor Hadrian,
archaeologists said.
Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi, who has sometimes halted work on
the Metro C line, hailed the find.
"Rome never ceases to amaze," she said in an English-language
tweet.
"From the metro worksite the latest marvel to arrive from the
past," said the mayor.
Asked about the possibility of the remains being put on show
in the future Amba Aradam Metro CT Station, another
archaeologist present said she thought it was too early to say
for definite.
"The placement (of the remains) must still be studied," she
said.
"But we believe that all this must have a placement that is
worthy of it".
The ongoing excavation is taking place on the southern slopes
of the Coelian Hill, one of Rome's seven hills, which in
imperial times was home to luxury aristocratic residences and,
further to the south, a series of military buildings, including
a barracks recently found in Via Ipponio.
The remains found Monday may belong to one of the homes or to
one of the military buildings, archaeologists said.
The stretch of metro from Amba Aradam to the Imperial Fora is
scheduled to be unveiled in 2021.
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