Archaeologists have found the lost Roman city of Ucetia. Picture: Denis Gliksman/Inrap
AN ancient Roman town thought to have been lost for 2000 years has finally been unearthed.
Archaeologists were shocked to discover the remains of Ucetia at Uzes, in the south of France.
Until the discovery, historians only knew it existed thanks to an inscription in Nimes, an important French outpost of the Roman empire.
Romans began to conquer France back in 121BC and Julius Caesar oversaw the total takeover by 51BC.
It’s believed the site could date between the 1st century BC to the 7th century AD, with some features from the Middle Ages.
The town was thought to be lost for the past 2000 years. Picture: Denis Gliksman/InrapSource:Supplied
Archaeologists found huge mosaics. Picture: Denis Gliksman/InrapSource:Supplied
The artworks provide an incredible first view into the past of the Roman town. Picture: Denis Gliksman/InrapSource:Supplied
Archaeologists found huge mosaics and the remains of public buildings, providing an incredible first view into the past of the Roman town.
The find includes large-scale, continuous geometric motifs with a centre medallion surrounded by a deer, duck, owl and eagle.
They also uncovered a house with large earthenware dolia vases which showed that the locals were into booze.
The floor had a square mosaic with dolphin motifs and an adjacent room had snazzy hypocaust underfloor heating.
Hypocaust is a system of central heating in a building that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes.
Mosaic uncovered in Southern France. Picture: Denis Gliksman/InrapSource:Supplied
Once the mosaics have been cleared, the site will be home to a new boarding school. Picture: Denis Gliksman/InrapSource:Supplied
Experts will excavate and analyse the mosaics before clearing the way for a boarding school due to be built on top of the site in 2019.
The discovery follows game-changing evidence surrounding the collapse of the Roman civilisation.
A recent discovery of cone-headed Hun skulls has forced scientists to think twice about how the Roman Empire really fell apart.
WHEN DID THE ROMANS CONQUER FRANCE?
Roman civilisation conquered England, Spain and France, Belgium, parts of Germany and Switzerland. They had plenty of territorial holdings across the Mediterranean in Europe and Africa too, plus large parts of Asia.
The Roman Republic began its takeover of Celtic Gaul in 121BC. Julius Caesar defeated the last of the Celtic tribes in the Gallic Wars of 58-51 BC.
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