ROME, ITALY—According to a New York Times report, a richly decorated building that may have been the home of a military commander has been uncovered in Rome at the site of the new Amba Aradam subway station. State archaeologist Simona Morretta said the house had at least 14 rooms that were built around a central courtyard. Found about 40 feet underground, the house, which contained several wooden artifacts, was situated near the second-century A.D. military barracks discovered two years ago. “The decorations were mainly intact, both the patterned mosaic floors and the frescoed walls,” Morretta said. The walls had been intentionally leveled off at about five feet tall, and the building filled in with dirt, perhaps before the walls surrounding the city were built in A.D. 271. Another building, which may have served as a warehouse, was also unearthed. The buildings will be removed from the site until the construction work has been completed, and then returned and displayed in the new subway station. To read about another discovery made during construction of Rome's new subway line, go to “Rome’s Oldest Aqueduct.”
