The ruins of an ancient Roman aristocrat's house have emerged from the bowels of a palazzo on the edge of the Roman forum. Two statues, a series of mosaics and other decorations have been found in what is believed to have been a third-century AD patrician home, probably that of a magistrate, officials said Tuesday.
"The gold of our identity flows under our feet," gushed Enrico Gasbarra, the head of Rome's provincial government, whose headquarters is in the palazzo.
He said the find was "the first step" in recovering the full, original lay-out of the third-century AD Hadrian's Forum, which was partially covered by buildings in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
The new find will be opened to the public in the autumn, Gasbarra said.
The remains of the plush townhouse were found in a year-long dig, which burrowed under a disused storeroom containing more than 100 truckloads of rubbish. "This magnificent find highlights the contribution this palazzo, which has remained in the twilight for too long, can make to the history of the world," Gasbarra added.
Italian Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli said he would link the ruins to the forum as part of plans to block off traffic and turn the forums into the "biggest open-air museum in the world".
