'Mini Pompeii' found in Rome metro dig (4)

(ANSA) - Rome, June 26 - Excavations conducted as part of work for the new C line of the Rome metro have uncovered Pompeii-like finds including a dog's skeleton in the capital, sources said Monday. The dig has unearthed two spaces dating to the middle of the imperial period which, due to a fire, feature well-conserved parts of a wooden ceiling and furniture. "The material is only conserved in exceptional environmental and climatic conditions, or after special events like those that took place at Herculaneum and Pompeii," said sources at Rome's special superintendency. "The discovery of a burned wooden ceiling is unique for the city". The excavation in via dell'Amba Aradam also found the skeleton of the dog, curled up in front of a door and "likely trapped inside the building at the time of the fire," sources said.
    The remains of a smaller animal, which have yet to be identified, were also uncovered.
    A fine black and white mosaic floor was also found.
    "What makes this find resemble Pompeii is that we have evidence of a moment in history," said the special superintendent for the Colosseum and Rome's archaeological area, Francesco Prosperetti, "The fire that stopped life in this environment allows us to imagine life at a precise moment".
    The discovery has been dated to the period of Emperor Trajan at the start of the second century AD, with some adjustments that may have been made under his successor Hadrian, archaeologists said.
    Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi, who has sometimes halted work on the Metro C line, hailed the find.
    "Rome never ceases to amaze," she said in an English-language tweet.
    "From the metro worksite the latest marvel to arrive from the past," said the mayor.
    Asked about the possibility of the remains being put on show in the future Amba Aradam Metro CT Station, another archaeologist present said she thought it was too early to say for definite.
    "The placement (of the remains) must still be studied," she said. "But we believe that all this must have a placement that is worthy of it". The ongoing excavation is taking place on the southern slopes of the Coelian Hill, one of Rome's seven hills, which in imperial times was home to luxury aristocratic residences and, further to the south, a series of military buildings, including a barracks recently found in Via Ipponio.
    The remains found Monday may belong to one of the homes or to one of the military buildings, archaeologists said.
    The stretch of metro from Amba Aradam to the Imperial Fora is scheduled to be unveiled in 2021.