Rome’s excavations revealed an archaeological site where an ancient graveyard was found. It contained bone fragments as well as a headstone for a terracotta-dog.
Archaeologists were called in after workers laying pipes for utility firm Acea on the Via Luigi Tosti in the city’s Appio Latino quarter came across the buried tombs.
The Via Latina, literally the “Latin Road”, was once lined by them. It is one of the oldest-lain Roman roads that ran south-east from the city walls.
The excavations of the group found the remains of an unknown young man, which appeared to be buried in the earth.
According to the experts, the canine bust — small enough to fit in the palm of a hand — resembles decorative parts of drainage systems used on sloping rooms.
The little dog statue seems to have lost or never had a drain hole. It was made for aesthetic reasons.
MailOnline received a statement from the RSPCA’s dog experts stating that it was difficult for them to pinpoint the exact breed because there is no scale.
“It could be representative for a large breed of dogs or a small toy dog,” a spokesperson explained. Noting that dog breeds also have evolved significantly in the past two millennia, she added,
They added that dogs were selectively bred for desired qualities during the Roman period.
The Romans kept dogs as both pets and to guard property and livestock, with one popular breed being the Molossian hound, which came from ancient Greece.
Historians believe that they also kept dogs that would have been similar in appearance to to modern Irish wolfhounds, greyhounds, lurchers, Maltese and more.

Excavations made in Rome revealed an archaeological site that housed a ceramic funerary vessel containing bone fragments.

When workers at Acea, a utility company in Milan laid pipes on Via Luigi Tosti (pictured), archaeologists discovered the hidden tombs.

They might have lined up the Via Latina (literally the ‘Latin Road), which is one of Rome’s earliest roads. This road runs south from the walls of old Rome (shown in red).
Archaeologists think that structures comprising the funerary complex were built between 1st Century BC and 1st Century AD.
The Times reported that Daniel Porro (Rome’s Special Superintendent) said, “The discovery casts new light upon an important context.”
“Once again Rome shows significant traces of its past in its urban fabric.
These three tombs were located at approximately 1.6 feet (0.55 metres) beneath the street surface.
Unfortunately, the archaeologists reported, the structures appeared to have been damaged by previous underground utility works, carried out in the area prior to the introduction of policies designed to protect the city’s heritage.
Each of the three tombs was built on a foundation made from concrete.
One wall was made out of yellow tuff while the other had net-like walls. The third’s remains were contained to only a base showing signs of fire damage.
Experts claimed that they found large amounts of colored plaster fragments in addition to the head of the Terracotta dog.
The funerary complex, they added, appears to have been built using the front of an abandoned pozzolana quarry, as is evidenced by the characteristic cuts made into the bank of tuff (a rock made of volcanic ash) on which it appears to have stood.
Pozzolan is a name for material from volcanic origin, which the Romans used to make cement. It was also used by the Romans as an important ingredient.

Nearby the tombs were the remains of a young boy who seemed to be buried in the ground. The team also discovered the remains. Pictured: an archaeologist carefully excavates the some 2,000-year-old tombs in the Appio Latino quarter of Rome

According to archaeologists, the funerary structures were created between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Pictured: the dig site, which lies near the intersection of the Via Luigi Tosti and the Via Latina

According to the Times, ‘The discovery sheds light on an important context’, Rome’s special superintendent Daniel Porro stated. “Rome once again shows significant traces of its past through its urban fabric.” The dig site at Via Luigi Tosti

They were located at approximately 1.6 feet (0.55 metres) under the current street surface. The archaeologists stated that the structure appeared to be damaged from previous underground utility work, which was carried out before the creation of city policies to preserve the city’s history.

After workers installing pipes in Acea’s Appiolatino quarter, on Via Luigi Tosti, discovered the remains of buried graves and called for archaeologists. The Via Latina, literally the “Latin Road”, was once lined by archaeologists. It is one of the oldest-lain Roman roads that ran south-east from the city walls.
Experts believe that only a small fraction of Rome’s remains have ever been found. Rome’s 2800 year-old history of occupation means that many of Rome’s past are now hidden beneath the layers of modern construction.
The new dig site on the Via Luigi Tosti is close to the Ipogeo di Via Dino Compagni — an underground tomb, or ‘hypogeum’, that was first discovered in 1954.
This structure — which, based on the stunning frescos within, has been dated to around 320–350 AD — would have been used for private burials.
The hypogeum is notable for containing a mixture of religious iconography, reflecting how some of its interred appeared to have converted to Christianity while other still adhered to worshipping pagan gods.

The new dig site on the Via Luigi Tosti is close to the Ipogeo di Via Dino Compagni — an underground tomb, or ‘hypogeum’, that was first discovered in 1954. This structure has been dated to around 320–350 AD, based on the stunning frescos within (as pictured)