The ruins of an Ancient Roman temple dating to the 1st century BCE have been discovered on the outskirts of Sarsina, an Italian rural town. Under Roman rule, the area was a strategic defensive outpost. It was also the birthplace of playwright Plautus.

Workers first stumbled upon the ruins in December 2022 during the construction of a development project that was intended to bring a new supermarket, a fitness center, and a playground to the town.

There, they found a sandstone block structure and marble slabs that measured 6,211 square feet wide. Researchers have identified this as the podium on which the temple was constructed.

“We have unearthed three separate rooms, likely dedicated to the triad of gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva,” lead archaeologist Romina Pirraglia told CNN. 

“The excavations are still underway,” she continued, “and we have already identified an older, deeper layer of ruins dating back to the 4th century BC, when the Umbrian people (an ancient Italic tribe who predated the Romans) lived in the area. The entire temple could be even larger than what we now see.”

The temple’s discovery further confirms Sarsina as a strategic location and importance during the Roman Empire. The team also found such evidence as tombs and hearths, indicating that the building was reused in the Medieval era.

Local authorities are revising building plans to accommodate the ruins.