Hidden for Centuries: French Archaeologists Unearth Opulent Roman Villa With Secret Heated Floors and Lavish Baths
Ever wonder just how grand a Roman villa could get before the Empire’s fall? Well, hold on to your togas — archaeologists have uncovered a sprawling estate near Auxerre, France, that stretches across 43,000 square feet. That’s roughly the size of eight basketball courts, folks, but instead of sneakers and hoops, picture opulent mosaics, thermal baths, and maybe a dozen fountains for good measure. Originally thought to be a modest villa when first stumbled upon during a gravel pit dig in 1966, it turns out that was just the tip of the imperial iceberg. This humongous complex, dating from the first to the fourth centuries C.E., blows previous estimates out of the water, revealing the luxurious life of Roman elites in ancient Gaul. Makes you wonder—did they hold basketball games here too? Okay, maybe not—but their version of high living sure had some serious flair. Dive into the full majesty of this ancient mansion and what it tells us about Roman grandeur. LEARN MORE
Spanning a whopping 43,000 square feet, roughly the size of eight basketball courts, this massive villa stood in what was then the city of Autisiodorum between approximately the first and fourth centuries C.E.
INRAPThe Roman villa complex found near Auxerre, France is many times larger than initially believed.
Archaeologists have now fully unearthed the remains of one of the largest Roman villas that ever stood in ancient Gaul. This comes decades after a portion of the site, near Auxerre in central France, was initially discovered in 1966. Though a villa was known to have existed ever since, it was long assumed to be a relatively modest structure and not the massive complex that’s now been uncovered.
The new excavation has revealed the full extent of the villa, and it’s even more vast than archaeologists anticipated. As it turns out, the original structure discovered in 1966 was just a secondary outbuilding of a much larger residence. In full, the villa comprises 43,055 square feet — a great deal more than the 7,535 square feet discovered at first.
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