A recent discovery in Italy has left archaeologists scratching their heads. A stone structure of unknown purpose has been unearthed near the town of Torreano, near Udine in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. Despite being initially identified as a burial cist, further excavations have revealed no human remains, leaving researchers at a loss to explain its original use.
The so-called “mysterious structure of unknown purpose” was initially identified by excavators digging holes to lay new fiber optic cabling. It was reported by Ivano Dorbolo’, a scholar of history and archaeology, and leader of the research group Valli del Natisone – Ricerche ed indagini archeologiche .
The ancient structure was constructed with stone slabs forming a crude rectangular shape. With its “two long walls and a short back topped by a roof” the team of archaeologists initially assumed they had uncovered “a stone burial cist .” However, further excavations have revealed no human remains.
An Ancient and Turbulent Region Of Italy
Bordered by Austria to the north, Slovenia to the east, and the Adriatic Sea to the south, this region of Italy was inhabited by various ancient civilizations including the Celts, Romans, and Lombards. In 554 AD, the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian I , responded to the Lombard invasion of Italy by seizing the entire region, at which time it became a part of the Exarchate of Ravenna, based in the city of Ravenna, the capital of the Western Roman Empire.
The Exarchate declined in the 8th…
