Ancient Mable-Paved Roman Road Discovered in Greece

New York Times June 27, 2012                                                                                By FELICIA R. LEE

A 230-foot section of a road built by the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago has been discovered by archaeologists in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, during excavations for a new subway system, the Associated Pressreported.

The marble-paved road, once the city’s main travel artery, was unearthed during excavations in the northern port city for the subway project due to be completed in 2016. Now the road will be raised and put on permanent display when the subway opens.

The site was displayed to the public on Monday. Some of the road’s large paving stones were etched with the designs of children’s board games, and others bore the marks of cart wheels. Remnants of lamps and tools and bases of marble columns were also found at the site.

Viki Tzanakouli, an archaeologist on the project, told the Associated Press that the road was about 1,800 years old, and that there was evidence of another road, built by the ancient Greeks some 500 years earlier, below it.

“We have found roads on top of each other, revealing the city’s history over the centuries,” the archeologist said. “The ancient road, and side roads perpendicular to it appear to closely follow modern roads in the city today.”

The subway project, which started in 2006, has allowed archaeologists to explore under the densely populated city, but those explorations have contributed to years of delays for the project.

In 2008, workers found more than 1,000 graves, some filled with treasure, including jewelry, coins or other pieces of art.

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