Time.news The images of the Roman mosaics that appeared in May of last year among the Amarone vineyards in Valpolicella (Verona) went around the world. And those already would have been enough to make the discovery exceptional. To make it truly extraordinary are now some new elements, including the fact that the emerging villa appears to be much larger than initially imagined. The excavation, which today measures about 80 meters by 35, has in fact made it possible to discover less than half of the complex dating back approximately to the end of the 3rd century, beginning of the 4th century AD.
The domus emerged from agricultural excavations in the 19th century
“It is certainly one of the most important discoveries made in Italy of this era” he explained to Time.news Gianni de Zuccato, archaeologist of the Superintendence of Verona, Vicenza and Rovigo. Since the 19th century it was clear to many that this land hid something precious. At that time, some mosaic surfaces emerged during agricultural work. At the time, however, without a superintendency to protect the assets, the landowner at the time had limited himself to tearing the most beautiful mosaics, selling them to the Municipality of Verona and covering everything to continue working in the vineyards undisturbed.
What has now been discovered is that the Roman domus that was thought to extend over about a thousand square meters could reach nearly five thousand square meters. The last excavations, in the month of April, on the south side where it was thought there was nothing left, have seen a large semicircular basin almost certainly used as a frigidarium, next to a room almost certainly heated and used as a calidarium. But not only. In one room, three burials were recently found containing three skeletons of children and the skeleton of what appears to be an elderly woman.
Excavations continue
Excavations are now continuing thanks to theimpulse given by the Minister of Cultural Heritage Dario Franceschini who last March, during an online event, reiterated that this is a splendid discovery, but also a beautiful story of public-private collaboration given the availability confirmed several times by the owners of the vineyard. In September, excavation will begin in the area where the other half of the villa should be, with the entrance and the vestibulum. The University of Verona has made itself available to collaborate on a more precise dating with radiocarbon.
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