• MAIN PAGE
  • LATEST NEWS
    • Lost Cities
    • Archaeology's Greatest Finds
    • Underwater Discoveries
    • Greatest Inventions
    • Studies
    • Blog
  • PHILOSOPHY
  • HISTORY
  • RELIGIONS
    • Africa
    • Anatolia
    • Arabian Peninsula
    • Balkan Region
    • China - East Asia
    • Europe
    • Eurasian Steppe
    • Levant
    • Mesopotamia
    • Oceania - SE Asia
    • Pre-Columbian Civilizations of America
    • Iranian Plateau - Central Asia
    • Indus Valley - South Asia
    • Japan
    • The Archaeologist Editor Group
    • Scientific Studies
    • Aegean Prehistory
    • Historical Period
    • Byzantine Middle Ages
    • Predynastic Period
    • Dynastic Period
    • Greco-Roman Egypt
  • Rome
  • PALEONTOLOGY
  • About us
Menu

The Archaeologist

  • MAIN PAGE
  • LATEST NEWS
  • DISCOVERIES
    • Lost Cities
    • Archaeology's Greatest Finds
    • Underwater Discoveries
    • Greatest Inventions
    • Studies
    • Blog
  • PHILOSOPHY
  • HISTORY
  • RELIGIONS
  • World Civilizations
    • Africa
    • Anatolia
    • Arabian Peninsula
    • Balkan Region
    • China - East Asia
    • Europe
    • Eurasian Steppe
    • Levant
    • Mesopotamia
    • Oceania - SE Asia
    • Pre-Columbian Civilizations of America
    • Iranian Plateau - Central Asia
    • Indus Valley - South Asia
    • Japan
    • The Archaeologist Editor Group
    • Scientific Studies
  • GREECE
    • Aegean Prehistory
    • Historical Period
    • Byzantine Middle Ages
  • Egypt
    • Predynastic Period
    • Dynastic Period
    • Greco-Roman Egypt
  • Rome
  • PALEONTOLOGY
  • About us

Why Ancient Rome is Buried

December 14, 2023

The ancient city of Rome is buried underground due to a combination of factors, including wind-blown dust and weeds, flooding from the Tiber River, and debris from ruined buildings. Plants took root on the roofs and walls of untended buildings, causing soil to build up slowly but steadily. Rome was also prone to serious floods, which often left thick layers of silt and trash. However, far and away the greatest culprit was debris from ruined buildings. In a typical Roman apartment building, the outer walls were brick-faced concrete and the roof was tile, but almost all the rest was wood.

Once the building was abandoned, the wood decayed and, once rain and frost weakened the mortar and earthquakes brought the walls crashing down, there would be a grass-covered mound a story or so tall on the side of that apartment building. In the case of a large structure, that mound might be the size of a small hill. The medieval inhabitants of Rome scavenged bits of stone from these piles, but they had no use for broken tile or chunks of concrete so they simply ignored the rubble or leveled it and built on top of it.

← 12 Most Incredible Archaeological FindsThe Complexity of Ancient Greek Dialects in the Classical Period →
Featured
Roman_Shoe_01_764_425.jpg
Jul 19, 2025
Were Roman Soldiers Giants? Clues Emerge from Oversized Footwear Unearthed Near Hadrian’s Wall
Jul 19, 2025
Read More →
Jul 19, 2025
image_2025-07-18_102737112.png
Jul 18, 2025
Scientists Discover Giant “Fuses” Deep Inside the Earth That May Trigger Massive Volcanic Eruptions
Jul 18, 2025
Read More →
Jul 18, 2025
image_2025-07-16_232121198.png
Jul 16, 2025
What Does the Latin Word Nostrum Really Mean?
Jul 16, 2025
Read More →
Jul 16, 2025
image_2025-07-16_230400653.png
Jul 16, 2025
The Ancient Greek Superfood Making a Comeback: Why Lupins Deserve a Place on Our Plates Again
Jul 16, 2025
Read More →
Jul 16, 2025
Στιγμιότυπο-οθόνης-2025-07-04-221552-1024x512.png
Jul 14, 2025
Atlantis: Archaeologist Claims to Have Found the Lost City Near Cádiz, Spain
Jul 14, 2025
Read More →
Jul 14, 2025
download.jpg
Jul 14, 2025
The Forgotten Wonders of Ancient Greece
Jul 14, 2025
Read More →
Jul 14, 2025
read more

Powered by The archaeologist