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Crusader palace unearthed in Cyprus

Workers clearing the site for a new town hall for the Cypriot capital stumbled across the remains of a massive Crusader palace dating from the early 13th century, archaeologists believe.

"It's not every day you find a royal palace," a jubilant Pavlos Flourentzos, curator of antiquities, said. "This is a rare find in the context of mediaeval Cyprus, it is very important because in all probability we have discovered the first Lusignan palace."

The French Lusignan dynasty ruled Cyprus from 1192 to 1489, and the palace was completed in 1211.

When signs of ruins emerged as bulldozers in Nicosia began work to clear a former car park and outdoor market area, an excavation team was hastily sent in with a two-week mission to collect evidence and prove the site should be preserved. Crusader palace unearthed. At the site itself scores of archaeologists are sifting through the soil. In one corner workers are excavating what they believe to be the main building, while elsewhere patches of crumbling ruins suggest a large and impressive network of structures.

- More at News.com.