The remains of what may have been one of Rome ’s earliest Christian church building were accidentally key along the Tiber Riverduring construction , The Localreports . Thefour - roomstructure , which could have been build as betimes as the 1st century CE , was unearthed by electrical technicians who were laying cable along the Ponte Milvio .
No one is certain what to make of this “ archaeological closed book shrouded in mystery story , ” in the words of Rome ’s Archaeological Superintendency . Although there ’s no determinate theory as of yet , experts have a few ideas .
The use of colorful African marble for the floors and wall has led archeologist to believe that the building probably served a esteemed — or perhaps holy — purpose as the villa of a baronial family or as a Christian position of worship . Its propinquity to an former burying ground engender the latter theory , since it ’s common for churches to have mausoleum confiscate to them . Several tombs were retrieve in that cemetery , including one containing the intact skeleton of a Roman man .
The wall are made of brick , and the red , gullible , and beige marble had been imported from Sparta ( Greece ) , Egypt , and present - day Tunisia , The Telegraphreports .
As The Local points out , it ’s not all that strange in Rome for archeological find to be made by unsuspecting multitude going about their mean solar day . Rome ’s oldestaqueductwas chance by Metro doer , and an ancientbath houseand tombs were find during construction on a new church .
[ h / tThe Local ]
