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Rome's Subway Workers Unearth Archaeological Treasures
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findingDulcinea Staff
It is hard to dig anywhere in Rome without stumbling on something of historical value. This makes developing the subway a slow, painstaking process.
30-Second Summary
"There are treasures that would stay buried forever if we didn't have to dig," says Enrico Testa, speaking to Newsweek
Testa is head of Rome's Metropolitane S.p.A., which runs the subway network. That position has brought him an unlooked-for knowledge of Roman archaeology.
Since work on a $4.7 billion subway project began, archaeologists and subway engineers have uncovered remains of imperial homes, Roman tombs containing the remains of two children still encased in the burial amphorae, and the remnants of the medieval Via Flaminia road that once crossed the city, to name a few.
And the discoveries are sure to keep coming, halting progress on the 15-mile subway line scheduled to be completed in 2015. Before construction on the new line even began, developers and archaeologists had to agree on the best way to proceed with the project to protect the ancient relics that might be discovered along the way.
But Rome’s strict conservation laws, requiring every artifact to be studied, do pay off.
Last year, after two years of painstaking technological probing, archaeologists uncovered an underground chamber venerated by ancient Romans as the site where a she-wolf nursed the city’s fabled founders.
The grotto is known in ancient texts as the “Lupercale”—from “lupa,” which is Latin for she-wolf. Discovered just below the ruins of the palatial home of Augustus Caesar, Rome’s first emperor, the partially caved-in sanctuary plays a pivotal role in the Eternal City’s mythology
The cavern is fabled to have been the place where the twin sons of the Roman god Mars—Romulus and Remus—were nursed by a female wolf after being set adrift on the Tiber river by their father.
That Rome’s mythological genesis was re-discovered within the city’s modern limits is a testament to the wealth of artifacts that remain underfoot in the Eternal City.
Testa is head of Rome's Metropolitane S.p.A., which runs the subway network. That position has brought him an unlooked-for knowledge of Roman archaeology.
Since work on a $4.7 billion subway project began, archaeologists and subway engineers have uncovered remains of imperial homes, Roman tombs containing the remains of two children still encased in the burial amphorae, and the remnants of the medieval Via Flaminia road that once crossed the city, to name a few.
And the discoveries are sure to keep coming, halting progress on the 15-mile subway line scheduled to be completed in 2015. Before construction on the new line even began, developers and archaeologists had to agree on the best way to proceed with the project to protect the ancient relics that might be discovered along the way.
But Rome’s strict conservation laws, requiring every artifact to be studied, do pay off.
Last year, after two years of painstaking technological probing, archaeologists uncovered an underground chamber venerated by ancient Romans as the site where a she-wolf nursed the city’s fabled founders.
The grotto is known in ancient texts as the “Lupercale”—from “lupa,” which is Latin for she-wolf. Discovered just below the ruins of the palatial home of Augustus Caesar, Rome’s first emperor, the partially caved-in sanctuary plays a pivotal role in the Eternal City’s mythology
The cavern is fabled to have been the place where the twin sons of the Roman god Mars—Romulus and Remus—were nursed by a female wolf after being set adrift on the Tiber river by their father.
That Rome’s mythological genesis was re-discovered within the city’s modern limits is a testament to the wealth of artifacts that remain underfoot in the Eternal City.
Headline Link: 'Next Stop, Antiquity Station'
"The discovery of ancient artifacts is usually cause for celebration and public excitement. But this being Rome, excavation often brings more heartache than joy. Engineers digging up 38 sites in the Italian capital for the construction of much-needed third subway line seem stymied at every turn by some piece of history or another," reports Newsweek. Archaelogists and engineers have been working together on the project to ensure valuable artifacts aren't destroyed.
Source: Newsweek
Background: The Lupercale
The area surrounding the Lupercale, known as the Palatine, is honeycombed with ancient monuments and palaces. As a result, it has taken two years of gentle technological probing with endoscopes and laser scanners to uncover the chamber, the first pictures of which were revealed at a Nov. 20 press conference. Andrea Carandini, a professor of archaeology at Rome's La Sapienza University and a Lupercale expert called the find “one of the greatest discoveries ever made.”
Source: Discovery Channel News
The most famous rendering of Rome’s iconic she-wolf is a bronze statue called the Capitoline she-wolf. Currently on display in the city’s Capitoline Museum, the figure has been much duplicated throughout history. Benito Mussolini sent copies of the statue to various American cities as a pronouncement of his perceived status as founder of the New Rome, and the she-wolf was part of the poster design for the 1960 Rome Olympics. Thought to have been created prior to the founding of Rome, the statue’s actual age is now up for debate. Recent studies suggest that the bronze she-wolf might have been constructed as late as the Middle Ages.
Source: Discovery Channel News
Historical Context: The founding of Rome
According to legend, brothers Romulus and Remus decided to build the city of Rome on the very spot on which they were rescued from the Tiber. However, the quarrelsome brothers disagreed on just about everything, a failing that meant they quickly fell out of favor with the gods. To remedy the situation, the gods chose Romulus to rule the city, inciting the violent jealousy that would eventually lead to Remus’s death at the hands of his brother. The History Channel Web site has a short video illustrating the mythological story.
Source: The History Channel Web site
Related Topics: Construction unearths relics in Rome, Cologne and Istanbul
The ambitious Marmaray tunnel project in Istanbul, Turkey, has uncovered an abundance of cultural artifacts. The most significant find has been the Byzantine port of Theodosius, which has grown into the largest archaeological dig in Istanbul’s history. As the commercial port for an ancient city that once served as the capital of the eastern Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, archaeologists believe Theodosius has much information to offer about ancient life.
Source: Live Science
The city of Cologne, Germany, is working with a team of 100 archaeologists to preserve any historical relics that might be uncovered during the development of its new railway system. The city has set aside $194 million in an effort to ensure nothing of historical value is destroyed during construction. The team has already unearthed 10,000 artifacts.
Source: The Boston Globe
The city of Rome, Italy is constructing a new subway line beneath the heart of the city. However, because the construction is expected to unearth a wealth of archaeological treasures, developers and archaeologists have had to work together to devise the best way to proceed with the project while also preserving the newly discovered relics. Although the two groups have a contentious history, both hope to strike a balance between the transportation needs of modern-day Rome and the rich cultural history of the Eternal City.
Source: The New York Times
Reference Material: The National Museum of Rome
The National Museum of Rome is a group of museums divided into different sites across the city, housing some of the most beautiful and important artifacts discovered in Rome’s ancient ruins.
Source: The Web site of the National Museum of Rome
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