http://www.newsweek.com/id/124237
The discovery of ancient artifacts is usually cause for celebration and
public excitement. But this being Rome, excavation often brings more
heartache than joy. Engineers digging up 38 sites in the Italian capital for
the construction of much-needed third subway line seem stymied at every turn
by some piece of history or another. A $4.7 billion project set to be
complete in 2015, the 15-mile subway line is designed to carry 24,000
passengers an hour, hopefully decreasing above-ground traffic congestion and
reducing city-center air pollution by nearly half.
That's if, of course, it is ever completed. Each time a relic is found, work
stops to study the object's historical significance. And while many of these
finds might be museum-worthy, some will be reburied or even destroyed for
the sake of the progress. "Navigating Rome's ruins is like a slalom course,"
says Rome's superintendent of archeology Angelo Bottini. "It is impossible
that there will not be situations of conflict."
So far, archaeologists and subway engineers have been working together,
treating the subway construction as a rare opportunity to dig below the
historical center of Rome, a city founded in the eighth century B.C. While
the engineers are largely frustrated, the archaeologists have not been
disappointed. They have found remains of imperial homes complete with full
kitchens, down to the pots and pans, along with the remnants of the medieval
Via Flaminia road that once crossed the city. Workers found Roman tombs
containing the remains of two children still encased in the burial amphorae,
pavements from the eighth century and the ruins of a copper factory from the
sixth century complete with the original ovens used to melt copper alloy. In
some cases, the city archaeologists just photograph and document the
artifacts' location and give the go-ahead to destroy them-as they did
recently when they found the remnants of a Roman tavern from the Middle
Ages. Those artifacts deemed worthy of excavation are removed and will be
transferred to Rome's museums or eventually showcased in the subway stations
as part of a subterranean museum network. In other cases, like the discovery
of the base of an Imperial palace near the proposed Pantheon subway stop,
the ruins were reburied for future excavation and the entire subway stop was
scrapped.
...
Dave Welsh
Unidroit-L Listowner
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Unidroit-L
dwelsh46@cox.net
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