The lost Roman city of Ucetia has been found

The find was made during preparatory work for the construction of a school near the village of Uzès. The team behind itóarchaeologistów of the French National Institute of Archaeological Research (INRAP) led by Philippe’a Cayn.

About the fact that in the vicinity of today’s Uzès located the ancient Roman city was already known in advance. The name Ucetia was mentioned on one of the stelae located in the neighboring city of Nimes, in which theórym there are numerous monuments from that period m.in. Some of the largest amphitheateróin Roman Gaul, który móThe museum can accommodate about 20,000 viewersów.

The excavations covered an area of about 4,000 metersóin square. So far, a large building with the remains of columns has been unearthed. Researchers suggest that it was a public building. Nearby, four smaller rooms were encountered. One of them hid a magnificent mosaic in very good condition. The mosaic depicts animal figures: an owl, a duck and an eagle, as well as geometric figures.

In another part of the excavation, archaeologists came across a large house of a wealthy Roman family. Beautiful mosaics were also found in it. Opócz patternsóin geometric also include representations of dolphinsów.

Researchers believe the buildings were erected around the 1st century AD. Oprócz mosaics were found róAlso for well-preserved vessels used to store wine.

Ucetia was abandoned, according to archaeologists, around the 3rd-4th centuries. It is not clear why the residents abandoned the city. During the excavations, researchers also came across traces of medieval settlement from around the 7th century.

– The mosaics are impressive. Not only because of their quite large size, but mainly because of the very good condition they are in. Preserved motifs combine classical geometric shapes and animals – Cayn said.

The excavations are funded by the French government and will last until the end of August.