An ancient Roman building has been found during excavations at a former cinema in the northern Italian city of Verona in what has been described as a “miniature Pompeii”.
The discovery was made during excavations in the basement of Astra
cinema, which is undergoing renovation after lying abandoned for more than 20
years.
With its “magnificent frescoed walls”, the building, which dates back
to the second century, “evokes a miniature Pompeii”, said Verona’s
archaeological superintendent, the department in charge of archaeology for the
area.
Overhead view of room with frescoed walls, decorated floors and carbonized wood [Credit: Verona Archaeological Superintendency]It is not yet clear what function the building had, but experts said it
appeared to have survived a fire as the roof had collapsed and there were items
of charred wooden furniture among the finds.
“A fire seems to have put an end to the attendance of the complex,” the
superintendent said.
Despite the fire, “the environment was preserved intact, with the
magnificent colours of the frescoed walls dating back to the second century”.
The find and evidence of a fire evoked connotations of ancient Pompeii,
which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. “A calamitous
event, in this case a fire, suddenly marked the end of the complex, leaving traces,”
the report added.
The discovery comes just over a year after a perfectly preserved Romanmosaic floor was found close to Verona. The multicoloured tiles, found beneath
a row of vines, had been part of the foundations of a Roman villa, the remains
of which were discovered a century before in a hilly area above the town of
Negrar di Valpolicella. The villa is believed to have dated back to the third
century.
Source: The Guardian
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