Archaeologists Discover Ancient Basilica Linked To "Father Of Architecture"

Archaeologists in Italy have uncovered a 2,000-year-old basilica connected to Vitruvius, the famous engineer often called the father of architecture. The discovery was made in Fano, a city about 150 miles northeast of Rome. Italian officials announced the find at a press conference on January 19, according to Reuters. Officials identified the building as a basilica, a type of public structure. Before Christianity was adopted in Rome, basilicas were primarily used for civic purposes rather than religious activities. According to officials, this basilica was rectangular in shape, with 10 columns on the long sides and 4 on the short sides. This is the basilica that experts can most closely associate with Vitruvius, reported Fox News.

Vitruvius was born around 80-70 BC and died in 15 BC. He was the famous author of "De Architectura", an ancient treatise on architecture. This treatise consists of 10 articles covering topics such as architecture, engineering, and urban planning, and is the oldest known treatise on this field.

Vitruvius inspired works like Leonardo da Vinci's famous "Vitruvian Man" and also influenced architects like Christopher Wren and Andrea Palladio.

Regional Archaeological Superintendent Andrea Pessina told reporters that a perfect match has been found between the discovery and the basilica described in Vitruvius's works. He said that there are very few certainties in archaeology, but the accuracy found in this case is extremely impressive.

Archaeologists plan to continue excavations at the site to uncover more remains and open it to the public in the future.

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli called the discovery "sensational" and said it was a discovery that future generations will talk about.

Fano Mayor Luca Serfilippi called it "the discovery of the century" and said that researchers had striven for hundreds of years to find the basilica.