Residents of the small town of Sarsina in Italy’s Emilia Romagna region were enthusiastically looking forward to the construction of a new supermarket, fitness center and playground. But it was not meant to be - at least, not as originally planned.
While it has a glorious past, as a strategic defensive outpost for the Roman Empire and the birthplace of the famed playwright Plautus, today there’s not much to do beyond hiking and birdwatching in Sarsina.
Late last year, workers at the building site unearthed the ruins of an ancient Roman temple - or ‘capitolium’ - dating back to the first century BC. By July this year, a first look at the underground treasure came to light: a 577 square meter single imposing structure of horizontal sandstone blocks and marble slabs, which researchers have identified as the podium above which the columns and walls of an ancient temple were built.
And what has come out of the ground so far could be just the tip of the proverbial iceberg and, unsurprisingly, the discovery of the temple has pushed local authorities to revise their building plans.
Particularly as the temple’s unique state of preservation makes the find exceptional. “The marvelous quality of the stones have been spared from sacks, enemy invasions and plunders across millennia thanks to the remote location of Sarsina, a quiet spot distant from larger cities,” says Federica Gonzato, superintendent of archaeology. “Temples such as this one (were) regularly plundered, exploited as quarries with stones and marble slabs taken away to be re-used to build new homes. But Sarsina’s capitolium podium structure is practically untouched, with its entrance staircase well-preserved, and this is extremely rare.”
“This is the beauty of Italy: wherever you dig, some hidden treasure comes out of the ground. Wonders never cease to amaze us,” added Gonzato.