1,800 year old Ruins found in Rome

A mini Pompeii? 1,800-year-old ruins discovered in Rome metro excavation

Thirty-three feet underground, at the bottom of a concrete-lined pit, archeologist Gilberto Pagani patiently scrapes dirt from a charred beam of wood that has laid undisturbed for around 1800 years.

It's part of a house, perhaps once belonging to a senior Roman army officer, destroyed by fire. Last year construction workers discovered the site near the Colosseum as they were digging a shaft to the tunnel of Rome's new metro Line C. It was only this week that archaeologists revealed what they've found during the ensuing excavation.According to archaeologist Simone Morretta, "This poor dog was already in the room during the fire. We found ashes under its paws. Probably part of the burning ceiling fell on it and there it was stuck and died.