Back in 2007, there was big news in the archaeological world that the Lupercal Grotto, the mythical site where Romulus and Remus were raised by a she-wolf, was located below the palace of Emperor Augustus's house on Palantine Hill.
The pictures that came from the grotto showed tremendously detailed mosaics with vivid colours, and was being hailed as one of the biggest finds of Ancient Rome, shedding light on the original founding mythology.
Except since 2007, there was been very little mentioned about it. All work as far as I can tell has moved on, and no interest is being shown in the site. Am I wrong? Is work still going on? What's the latest status?
I don't know exactly but I believe works are still being carried on, albeit at a snail's pace (given these days' very limited funding). The newspaper article mentioned that archaeologists were still looking for a point of entry...
You know what they do whenever there's roadwork and a Roman ruin pops up? If they can't ensure its preservation, the ruin is minor or simply not profitable, they bury back everything. And this is exactly what they're doing in via Portuense, a few blocks from home. Due to heavy traffic, the road needs to be enlarged; so, after having studied the site, they're removing everything of note in order to bury the rest and let the new road be built.
