‘Little Pompeii’ newly discovered in France

Archaeologists working in France have uncovered the remarkable remains of a Roman town from the first century A.D. during an excavation along the Rhone river near Lyon. Their finds are so pristine, in fact, that experts are calling the site a “Little Pompeii,” in reference to another more famous Roman-era city which was preserved like a time capsule beneath layers of volcanic ash after a historic eruption from Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

This newly discovered residential and commercial complex, which was abandoned after a series of fires in the fourth century, is the once bustling city of Vienne, a notable stop along the route between Northern Gaul and the Roman empire in Southern France’s Gallia Narbonesis.

“We’re unbelievably lucky. This is undoubtedly the most exceptional excavation of a Roman site in 40 or 50 years,” archaeologist Benjamin Clement told the Guardian.

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