Excavations being carried out in downtown Athens ahead of an urban revamp have uncovered ruins believed to belong to a Late Roman-era villa, the Culture Ministry said on Thursday.

Located in Plateia Theatrou (Theater Square), just behind City Hall on central Athinas Street, the site yielded remnants of a wall and a section of a mosaic floor at a depth of around 1 meter.

Marble blocks arranged in a row indicate the existence of a colonnade, while mosaic floors are believed to have adorned all of the rooms, pointing to the luxurious quality of the building.

Older excavations on land adjacent to the square have revealed architectural components that appear to belong to the same complex, including similar wall and mosaic floors.

The salvage operation is running on a tight schedule, as the city wants to start works on the square as soon as possible, the ministry said, according to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

This article was previously published at ekathimerini.com.