ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVER ‘LITTLE POMPEII’ IN FRANCE

A “LITTLE Pompeii” is how French archaeologists are describing an entire ancient Roman neighbourhood uncovered on the outskirts of the southeastern city of Vienne, featuring remarkably preserved remains of luxury homes and public buildings.

“We’re unbelievably lucky. This is undoubtedly the most exceptional excavation of a Roman site in 40 or 50 years,” said Benjamin Clement, the archaeologist leading the dig on the banks of the Rhone river, about 30km south of Lyon.

The city of Vienne – famous for its Roman theatre and temple – was an important hub on the route connecting northern Gaul with the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis in southern France.

The site unearthed on land awaiting construction of a housing complex covers an area of nearly 7000sq m – an unusually large discovery in an urban area that has been labelled an “exceptional find” by the French culture ministry.

Picture: AFP An archaeologist works on a mosaic at Sainte-Colombe, near Vienne, eastern France, where the remains of a Roman city have been uncovered.