Greece locates lost ancient city
November 14, 2018
The ruins of a housing settlement and dozens of rare coins have confirmed the location of the ancient city of Tenea, Greece's culture ministry announced on Tuesday.
Excavations at a site in the southern Greek region of Peloponnese turned up "proof of the existence of the ancient city," the ministry said in a statement.
The city of Tenea is believed to have been founded by Trojans who were taken prisoner during the Trojan War in the 12th or 13th century BCE.
Until now, the city had only been mentioned in ancient texts and it was unknown whether it existed.
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'Evidence of life and death'
Main excavations in the area started in 2013, the most recent excavations unearthed seven graves dating to the Roman era and Hellenistic period, as well as the remnants of a housing settlement.
"It is significant that the remnants of the city, the paved roads, the architectural structure, came to light," lead archaeologist Eleni Korka told Reuters news agency.
The dig revealed marble and stone floors of buildings as well as carefully constructed walls. Some 200 rare coins dating from the 4th century BCE were also unearthed as well, indicating that Tenea was very wealthy, Korka said.
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The graves contained vases and jewelry — with the skeleton of a woman and child found in one of the graves.
In an unusual find, archaeologists discovered a jar containing the remains of two human fetuses in the foundations of one building. Ancient Greeks typically buried their dead in organized cemeteries outside the city walls.
"We've found evidence of life and death [...] and all this is just a small part of the history of the place," said Korka. "The coming years will allow us to evaluate where we stand."
rs/rc (Reuters, AP)