Ancient Roman theater discovered beneath town hall thanks to massive earthquakes

An earthquake in Croatia led to a chain of events that helped archaeologists recently discover an ancient Roman theater, officials say.

Croatia's Ministry of Culture and Media announced the find - which was uncovered in the city of Sisak - in a press release in April.

The Roman theater, also known as an odeon, was found during the renovation of Sisak's town hall on a street called - unsurprisingly - Roman Street. 

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The orchestra of the theater was found in the basement of the building. 

Pictures of the discovery show fragments of the ancient building visible under a glass floor. The stones also appear to take the semicircular shape of an orchestra.

The ministry described the structure as apsidal, meaning it resembles a semicircular or polygonal recess, consisting of "three parallel rows of stone blocks, with an internal diameter of twenty meters."

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"In later periods, a monumental building with buttresses was constructed on top of this structure, requiring additional research in the courtyard of the town hall for interpretation," said the statement, which was translated from Croatian to English.

The town hall, built in 1914, was "significantly damaged" during the 2020 earthquakes in Croatia - and the renovation of the building led archaeologists to the Roman orchestra.

"The renovation restored its original coloring, the design of the main entrance carpentry, and the original appearance of the main gable," the statement added. 

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"All preserved decorative elements were restored, and the original paving was presented in front of the entrance to the town hall itself."

Officials commended the discovery, calling it an "exceptionally valuable find."

"This … provides new insight into the size of the ancient city and further complements the interpretation of the urbanism of ancient Sisak," the ministry said. 

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"It was presented in the town hall, which has been completely renovated after the earthquake with funds provided by the Ministry of Culture and Media."

The discovery marks one of many ancient Roman finds in Europe in recent weeks. 

In Germany, archaeologists recently uncovered a massive number of horse skeletons at a military site near Stuttgart.

And in March, Italian archaeologists found ancient Roman tombs during the excavation of a necropolis, including one bearing the epitaph of a gladiator.