Italy’s ‘Tutankhamun’s tomb’: Archaeologists discover 2,000-year-old basilica

Archaeologists in Italy have unearthed the remains of a 2,000-year-old basilica designed by the pioneering ancient Roman architect Vitruvius, Euronews writes.

Italy’s Culture Minister, Alessandro Giuli, likened the discovery to that of Tutankhamun’s tomb, adding that it is “something that our grandchildren will be talking about”.

The archaeological treasure was discovered during excavations for the redevelopment of Piazza Andrea Costa, in the city of Fano, in the region of Le Marche. Researchers were able to positively identify it as Vitruvius’ design after finding columns that directly corresponded with the architect’s description.

Vitruvius’ De Architectura (The Ten Books on Architecture) is the only complete treatise on architecture to survive from antiquity and is regarded as the first book on architectural theory.

His instruction on the classical proportions of buildings underpinned artists’ works for centuries after, including Leonardo da Vinci, whose totemic drawing of the human body is known as the Vitruvian Man.

Vitruvius referred to the basilica specifically in his seminal text, describing it as a majestic public building intended for the administration of justice and business affairs.