Archaeologists have uncovered ancient ruins near Mount Etna in Sicily that suggest a much larger Byzantine-era complex once stood on the volcano’s lower eastern slope. Ground-penetrating radar and excavations at the Nunziatella site in Mascali revealed the remains of a substantial building beside a medieval church. Researchers say the structure predates the eighth century, although its original purpose and full extent remain unknown.
The findings were published in the journal Annals of Geophysics by a team including Stefano Branca of Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. The study draws on radar surveys, excavations carried out from 2023 through 2025, and radiocarbon testing of material recovered at the site.
Radar scans identified a long, narrow feature about half a meter (1.6 feet) to 2 meters (6.6 feet) below the courtyard. Excavations then exposed a stone-and-lime wall with plaster on its inner face and a floor made from mortar, stone fragments, and crushed terracotta. The wall runs parallel to the church.
Ancient ruins near Mount Etna suggest a larger Byzantine building
As work continued, researchers traced the wall for more than 19 meters (62 feet), including a section extending toward the square in front of the church. The floor appears to connect with surfaces found during earlier excavations, raising the possibility that today’s 12th-century church occupies only part of a much larger structure.
Two pits cut into the floor contained broken roof tiles, pottery, a small lamp and animal bones. Radiocarbon analysis of one bone dated it to between A.D. 663 and 775. Along with the other finds, that evidence indicates the pits were filled after the building had fallen out of use.
A later drainage channel damaged part of the wall and complicated the excavation. In 2025, emergency pipe repairs unexpectedly opened another small trench, exposing more of the wall and a well-preserved section of flooring.
Earlier church and mosaics reveal the site’s long history
The site was already known for an early Christian basilica dating to the fifth and sixth centuries, uncovered in 2012. Its surviving mosaic floors depict sea creatures, birds, and other designs. Researchers have yet to establish how the basilica and the newly exposed building were related.
Nearby burials, discovered during earlier work, date to the 13th and 14th centuries. Together with the 12th-century church, they provide evidence of the site’s continued use as its buildings changed over time. Natural springs helped make the area suitable for settlement long before the church was built.
The authors describe the find as a “large building from the Byzantine era of unknown function.” Its eastern and northern boundaries remain unconfirmed, and further surveys and excavations are needed to determine how it related to neighboring structures and what role it played.
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