2000-year-old Roman study centre found in Italy: Italian minister calls it Italy's 'Tutankhamun's tomb'

Digging up the past feels like cracking open a time capsule, where stones actually tell stories of the past; they are like a glimpse back in time that are wrapped in secrets of genius long gone.

This time, workers in a quiet Italian town stumbled on something straight out of history books, in the form of a building related to the guy who basically wrote the rules for Western architecture.


This discovery has the locals brimming with pride into global wonder, pulling dusty theories into solid reality.

2000 year old Roman law and commerce building found in Italy

Archaeologists struck gold while working on Piazza Andrea Costa in Fano, in Italy's Le Marche region. They dug up a 2,000-year-old basilica, an ancient Roman public building for law/commerce. And that's a perfect match for one designed by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, the famous Roman architect who wrote the ancient classic "De Architectura." The columns match up exactly to the descriptions, ten along the long sides and four on the short ones, nailing it as his work.


Vitruvius, who lived in Fano (back then called Fanum Fortunae) in the 1st century BC, described this spot in his book as a grand hall for trials and business deals. It stayed lost for centuries, with experts searching forever.

Minister calls it the Italian Tutankhamun’s tomb

Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli called it like Tutankhamun's tomb, “something that our grandchildren will be talking about.” According to the Euronews, Fano Mayor Luca Serfilippi said, "For more than 2,000 years we have been waiting for this discovery," at the reveal. Giuli added, “Today in Fano, a fundamental piece of the mosaic that preserves the deepest identity of our country was discovered.” He emphasises that it splits archaeology history into "before and after."

Vitruvius' Lasting Legacy

His "Ten Books on Architecture" inspired renowned names like Leonardo da Vinci, including the famous Vitruvian Man sketch.

It's the only complete ancient book on architecture that survived, influencing building proportions for centuries. This basilica is the first real proof of something he actually built, with columns around 15 meters tall and 1.5 meters wide on those side supports.

Boost for Fano and Marche

This discovery puts the spotlight on underrated Le Marche, an eastern Italian region. According to Euronews, Culture Minister Giuli called it "something exceptional in the history of archaeology, architecture, and the morphology of the city of Fano." Le Marche President Francesco Acquaroli sees it as a boost for "tourism and culture." Fano's Vitruvian Study Centre, promoting his legacy for over 30 years, also became a highlight for the discovery.