Hi everyone! As you might have read/ heard in the last blog post/podcast episode that Museum Musings is on a summer hiatus, it does not mean we are totally off the radar.

With new archaeological and art discoveries all of the time, we just can’t totally disappear! We came across this article earlier today, and while we haven’t been able to research it as much as we’d like in order to go in depth, we still wanted to make you aware of these great finding of a 2,000 year old necropolis in Rome. In reality, this happens quite often in the archaeology world, which is why often times a survey of the land being built upon can include archaeologists to help ensure nothing historically important is disturbed.

In fact, there are several examples of cities incorporating these exciting findings into their development plans. The Athens Metro in Greece is well known for exhibiting their Ancient Rome findings along the walls and other areas of the Athens train station. During my visit to Athens it was a real treat to see these items behind the protective glass. This approach to urban development can be a wonderful way to merge social progression while valuing and protecting historical artifacts of cultural importance.

Spain, similar to Greece, also protected an Islamic watchtower whose ruins can found in an underground parking garage in Madrid. Even in Florida we see this happen, such the Miami Circle in the Brickell area of Miami. It’s amazing the things you can find in a future construction site! Next time you drive by a construction site, take a moment and let your mind wonder about the land before modernity and industrialization took over.