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When a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck central Croatia in 2020, it caused extensive damage to the city of Sisak's town hall—and led to a fortuitous archaeological discovery, The Miami Herald reports. During renovation and repair work to the building, construction crews encountered long forgotten and well-preserved Roman ruins buried just beneath the modern structure’s basement. Archaeologists determined that they belonged to a small theater or odeon, measuring around 65 feet in diameter, which would have once held musical performances and political gatherings. Croatian authorities described the unexpected find as “extremely valuable” and one that helps provide a deeper glimpse into the...

Archaeologists have found a previously unknown network of massive Bronze Age sites in Central Europe that could explain so-called Bronze Age "megaforts."..."Some of the largest sites, we call these mega-forts, have been known for a few years now, such as Gradište Iđoš [modern-day Serbia], Csanádpalota, Sântana [Hungary] or the mind-blowing Corneşti Iarcuri [Romania] enclosed by 33km of ditches and eclipsing in size the contemporary citadels and fortifications of the Hittites, Mycenaeans or Egyptians," says lead author Barry Molloy, an associate professor at University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland."What is new, however, is finding that these massive sites did not stand alone,...

Satellite imagery has revealed a network of more than 100 Bronze Age structures hidden in the Serbian plains.Archaeologists first noticed the remnants of the more than 3,000-year-old enclosures in 2015 while reviewing Google Earth photos of a 93-mile stretch (150 kilometer) of wilderness along Serbia's Tisza River, according to a study published Nov. 10 in the journal PLOS One...Previously, this area, known as the Pannonian Plain, was thought to be a hinterland not used for Bronze Age settlements. But now, researchers think that this is just one example of the many settlements found across Europe that are part of an...

Explanation: A single, long exposure captured these star trails above a remarkably colorful sea of clouds. As seen from Medvednica mountain, the surrounding peaks and lights illuminating the clouds from below are north of Zagreb, Croatia. Near the center of the also colorful star trail arcs, the North Celestial Pole is off the upper right edge of the frame. Even though this is the age of the digital camera, the well composed skyscape was recorded using color slide film in a medium format camera. The dreamlike scene's starry sky and ephemeral ocean could be reminiscent of an older age still,...

Legionaries were recruited from all parts of the Empire - those who came to Pannonia mostly hailed from Africa, Syria and Iran. At first turf and timber forts with earthen huts as housing formed the military camps surrounded by deeply dug ditches. The Romans were great engineers and developed highly practical and easily reproducible methods of building. They used bricks and concrete to make arches unknown in ancient Egypt and Greece... The camps were strategically placed at 20 - 30km distances from each other along the limes (boundaries), with 1,260km-long ditches protecting them. These stretched from Siscia (Sisák), Sirmium (Mitrovica),...