Researchers have proposed a new theory regarding the Pantheon, one of the greatest buildings from ancient Rome. Apparently the sun shines through the building's oculus at the just the right angle to illuminate the entrance on two important festival days, when the emperor would have been in attendance.

Excavations anywhere in Rome are bound to turn up ruins of one kind or another, but a few years ago archaeologists found two Imperial-era Roman villas right in the heart of the city. The two villas, dubbed the Domus Romane, had been buried in late antiquity and later formed the foundation of a Baroque palace. Excavations are now complete and the villas are open to the public. I've been visiting Rome every year for over 15 years, and I still have a list of things that I've never seen. Every time I visit the city I check off a few, but the list never gets any shorter. This one just went to the top of the list.

Tags: Archaeology, Pantheon, Rome