LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Archaeologists in London have made a startling discovery in the very heart of the city, dating back to its earliest origins as a small town once known as Londinium. Willem Marx has more.
WILLEM MARX: As developers prepared to pull down a 90-year-old building in London's financial district, they spotted something far older lurking in its basement.
(SOUNDBITE OF SCRAPING)
MARX: Contractors soon made way for archaeologists, who dug large trenches as they searched for remains of Roman London amid the capital city's centuries-old layers of construction.
SOPHIE JACKSON: In one trench, we hit a massive piece of masonry that's about 3 or 4 feet wide.
MARX: Sophie Jackson is director of developer services at Museum of London Archaeology.
JACKSON: We extended the pit, and we extended the pit, and it was - kept on going. So basically, we've got a huge piece of Roman wall, which represents part of the structure for the nave of this basilica - the central part of this town hall.
MARX: Jackson says such basilicas, like amphitheaters, public baths and fortified walls, were a crucial component of any sizable Roman settlement.
JACKSON: Really, it's the sort of heart of any significant Roman town. It's where - the administrative center. It's where the law courts are. It's where the magistrates sit. It's where all the big decisions are made, but it's also a place where merchants would come and do business.
MARX: The site has remained a commercial center for London almost ever since, and historians say that makes the discovery even more surprising.
JANE SIDELL: For something so important to the history of London to survive so much development over so many centuries is really remarkable.
MARX: Jane Sidell is the principal inspector for ancient monuments at Historic England, an agency that advises the government on matters of national heritage.
SIDELL: You can read all you like. You can watch "Gladiator" at the cinema. But when you actually physically come face-to-face with something that's been there for 1,800 years, that connection with a nearly 2,000-year-old legacy is amazing.
MARX: The basilica was built in around 80 A.D., at a time when London's population likely topped around 40,000. And its construction reflected the Romans' decision to double down on the city as the capital of the new province of Britain, says Sophie Jackson.
JACKSON: It was a really high building, and nobody would have seen anything like this before in Britain. And so it was designed to impress - and perhaps intimidate - the local population.
MARX: The developers of the new high-rise that will soon tower above the ruins aims to put these unusual findings on public display.
(SOUNDBITE OF DIGGING)
MARX: It's the latest sign that London's changing skyline is more respectful than ever before of a past that's buried beneath it - even though it costs the construction firms involved a little more money.
For NPR News, I'm Willem Marx. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.