Archaeologists in Italy recently unearthed the remains of a city's earliest known Christian church — all near the site of a former fish market.The discovery was announced in a June press release by the Archaeological Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan Area of Venice and the Provinces of Belluno, Padua and Treviso.Pictures shared with Fox News Digital show the remains of the ancient church, including intricate polychrome mosaic floors and human burials alongside its foundation walls.The remains are located in Oderzo, some 40 miles northeast of Venice, in the area of a former pescheria, or fish market.RARE CANNONBALL EMERGES FROM GROUND AT THE ALAMO, LIKELY UNTOUCHED FOR NEARLY 190 YEARSThe church dates to between the fourth and fifth centuries A.D., during the Late Roman period.
Oderzo was known as Opitergium at the time.Excavation at the site began last November as part of preparations for a residential redevelopment project in the city's historic center.Archaeologists in northern Italy uncovered the remains of what they believe is the earliest known Christian church in the ancient city of Oderzo.(Soprintendenza archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio per le province di Padova, Treviso e Belluno)Archaeologists determined the 1,600-year-old building was a large rectangular church measuring about 75 feet wide and at least 98 feet long, with a central aisle and two side aisles.ARCHAEOLOGISTS PINPOINT SITE OF DOOMED 'SPANISH ROANOKE' COLONY AFTER UNEARTHING SINGLE CLUE"The foundations, up to 1.2 meters (4 feet) thick and built from brick bonded with mortar, rest on wooden piles driven into the alluvial soil—a construction technique widely used in antiquity to improve stability," officials said in a statement translated from Italian.Four burials containing the remains of seven individuals were discovered alongside the church during the ongoing archaeological investigation.
(Soprintendenza archeologia, belle arti e paesaggio per...