ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER ROMAN TOMB

[ 16 April 2007 ]

A team of archaeologists excavating a vaulted grave near the village of Fiscardo on Kefalonia have unearthed a collection of Roman gold jewellery, pottery and bronze offerings dating back to 146 BC, Associated Press reports today. Isolated traces of what may have been a small theatre was also uncovered.

According to Associated Press, the building housed five burials including a large vaulted grave and a stone coffin. Previous excavations in the area have uncovered the remains of houses, a bath complex and a cemetery, all dating to Roman times.

The Roman Empire was the superpower of the known Western world. It succeeded the 500 year-old Roman Republic (510 BC - 1st century BC), which had been weakened by the conflict between Gaius Marius and Sulla and the civil war of Julius Caesar against Pompey and Marcus Brutus. (Source: Wikipedia)

Commenting on early Roman structures, French archaeologist Clara CA told us: "Something that always fascinated me were their houses. They were huge and had a courtyard (the atrium) with a pool for the rain and three bathrooms for different water temperatures."