2,500-Year-Old Lost Greek City Discovered By Archaeologists Hidden Under A Hill Near Athens

Why are people so obsessed with exploring space when planet Earth is still brimming with undiscovered secrets? Just recently, a team of archaeologists has discovered a 2,500-year-old lost Greek city hidden under a hill near Athens.

Five hours and 190 miles north of Athens near the village of Vlochós is a hill that was once dismissed by archaeologists as part of an irrelevant ancient Greek settlement, The Independent reported. But Robin Rönnlund, head of fieldwork team from the University of Gothenburg, and a colleague said that they have known about the site and realized its hidden potential. He even adds that it was a mystery why the hill was not explored before.

Mr. Rönnlund's team working alongside colleagues from the Swedish Institute in Athens, the Vlochós Archaeological Project (VLAP), started exploring the hill. VLAP has already unearthed artifacts, like ancient pottery and coins, dating as far back as 500 B.C.

The team also found a city wall enclosing an area of over 40 hectares. A town square and a street grid were also discovered. This could mean that the once thought small settlement could be a very large ancient Greek city. The 2,500-year-old Greek city also had towers, walls and city gates hidden underneath the hill.

According to the archaeologists, the city once thrived around the fourth or third B.C. before it was abandoned around 300 B.C. The archaeologists speculate that the Roman invasion forced the Greeks living in the city from their homes.

To preserve the hill, the team of archaeologists hopes to use ground-penetrating radar instead of excavating the hill. The archaeological remains are said to be dated around several historical periods. The once insignificant hill now holds a great historical significance for the archaeologists.

Further investigation of the 2,500-year-old Greek city could yield important clues during the violent period of Greece. "Our project, therefore, fills an important gap in the knowledge about the area and shows that a lot remains to be discovered in the Greek soil," adds Robin Rönnlund.