Parking lots are quite an interesting place. You would not only find people arguing about parking space, but you can also chance upon some ancient artifact, building foundation and even lost king of England.
If you are a budding archaeologist and are itching to find ruins or temples (like Indiana Jones), we suggest you could start with your nearest parking lot. Yes, you would be surprised to find the kind of treasures parking lots have unearthed. But first, understand this, it is not easy to destroy a parking lot. But if archaeologists suspect something, they would first check the premise with their radar device and before getting permissions to destroy the said site. Here are some of the fascinating things that were discovered under a parking lot.
The” lost” king of England
Literature lovers must have heard of the legendary play by Shakespeare, “King Richard III”. The play was based on the short reign of King Richard III. He didn’t enjoy a great reputation and was killed in the “War of the Roses”. Nothing more was said about him in history until the year 2012, when archeologists found mortal remains of King Richard III under the parking lot in Leicester, England.
Chapel of Henry VIII
Palace of Placentia, the royal chapel where the “infamous” Henry VIII married his first two wives, is believed to have been destroyed in 1699, was never really found by historians. This chapel was a worshipping spot for not only Henry VIII but other monarchs as well. The chapel, which was lost from our history book for almost 500 years, suddenly made an appearance in the year 2006, when construction workers chanced upon bricks laying underneath a parking lot in Greenwich district, London. Archeologists were able to uncover the chapel’s floor, pieces of stained glass and much of stonework.
A Viking parliament
An ancient Viking parliament or gathering spot was discovered under a parking lot in Dingwall, Scotland, in the year 2013. The mound which was uncovered was believed to be the place where the governing bodies meet. Archeologists also found that the said mound was built for a Viking named Thorfinn, the mighty. The carbon dating suggests that the mound was constructed in the 11th century.
A native American village
In 2014,a downtown waterfront parking was about to be turned into a new building in Miami when archeological dig was requested before the construction began. An entire native American village was uncovered, which was believed to be about 2000 years old!
Do you want to know what lies behind your nearest parking lot?
