An archaeological dig on the outskirts of Rome has uncovered what experts believe may be an ancient tannery.

 

Experts have been examining the site in the Casal Bertone part of the city before a new high-speed rail line linking the Italian capital to Naples is complete. When 97 pits, each with a diameter of more than a metre, were uncovered, the archaeologists conducting the search concluded that they had uncovered a large tannery that may date back to the second century AD.

 

However, the dig's director, Stefano Musco, warned that the artefacts will be lost for ever unless the authorities hold up work on the railway to allow his team to remove the tanning pits and reconstruct them elsewhere.