Thirty feet below a busy train station in Rome, an ancient basilica was discovered by accident about a hundred years ago. The structure under the Termini Station, which recently opened to the public, features more than 20 fully restored stucco artworks, reported CBS News. The basilica, the oldest of its kind, dates back about 2,000 years to the era of Rome's first emperor, Augustus. The powerful family that built it, one theory goes, was not in favor with later emperors, so the structure was filled in with dirt and abandoned, CBS News correspondent Seth Doane reports. It was found by a railway line worker digging a hole, Luca Del Fra with Rome's cultural heritage bureau told CBS News. "A worker for the railway line put their head inside and saw all of this," he said. Restorers have been working to clean the ancient stucco artwork and uncover clues that might reveal what the building was used for — perhaps an ancient tomb or a place for pagan rites. Photo: CBS News
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