An international team of archaeologists have discovered a mysterious "lost city" in Greece that provides essential clues about the nation's rich history and culture.
This ancient city is located in central Greece in a village known as Vlochos, some five hours away from Athens in a region called Thessaly. The remnants of the lost city was uncovered over a hill near this village.
This archaeological site is under the Vlochos Archaeological Project, which is carried out by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Karditsa and the Swedish Institute in Athens.
This year, a team from the University of Gothenburg and the University of Bournemouth began to investigate the scattered evidence of this lost city.
According to the lead author of the study, Robin Rönnlund from the University of Gothenburg, this site was linked to another project last year, so the team realized its great potential right away.
On the hill's summit and slopes lie towers, walls and even city gates but the city remains invisible on the foot of the hill. By using ground-penetrating radar, researchers were able to preserve the site and not carry out any excavations that would otherwise disturb the original site.
Since the beginning of this two-year archaeological project, Rönnlund revealed that they have also found a town square with streets indicating a large city. Researchers say that this ancient city is estimated to span 75 football fields.
Apart from these, archaeologists also found artifacts such as ancient pottery and coins. The oldest of the artifacts are dated from 500 B.C.E. However, the city seemed to thrive during the 3rd to 4th century B.C.E. According to Rönnlund, this city appears to be abandoned for some unknown reason that seems to be linked to the Roman occupation of the area.
Rönnlund notes that there is an abundance of ancient cities in the region. This latest discovery is crucial in providing a glimpse of western Thessaly during that time, that it was no backwater but a rich and vibrant society during ancient times In Greece.