The excavation of the ancient Roman city of Interamna Lirenas overturns prior beliefs about the Empire's decline. For 13 years, researchers from the University of Cambridge unearthed evidence that the settlement not only survived but thrived during the Crisis of the Third Century, despite the widespread turmoil of the time. Uncovering pottery and architectural remains, they determined the town continued to function well into the third century, housing approximately 2,000 residents. Their findings suggest that the decline was gradual, contradicting prior assumptions that residents fled in panic at the first signs of trouble.
We started with a site so unpromising that no one had ever tried to excavate it - that's very rare in Italy.
But what we discovered wasn't a backwater, far from it. We found a thriving town adapting to every challenge thrown at it for 900 years.
The GPR survey turned up evidence of a large warehouse, a temple and a bath complex which served a port on the River Liri.
Despite these challenges, Interamna Lirenas managed to thrive well into the third century, 300 years longer than experts previously thought.
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