AMMAN — Jordanian authorities discovered on Dec. 12 antiquities dating back to the Roman era underneath the main street of downtown Amman, when they were excavating the area for installation of a water drainage system for flood control.

The excavation operations, led by the Greater Amman Municipality in cooperation with the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, uncovered Roman baths with heated cellars and a crematorium, in addition to pottery pieces and two headless statues.

Yazid Alayyan, director of the Department of Antiquities, told Al-Monitor, “The archaeological find dates back to the Roman era during the second century AD.”

“As a department, we are considering several options to balance the needs of the city and protect antiquities, such as moving the antiquities, changing the route of the box culverts [used in the drainage system], or making the area part of the Old City of Amman and developing it. For this reason, we formed a committee in cooperation with the engineers of the Greater Amman Municipality, to reach a quick solution that would help us make a decision. The Jordanian Antiquities Law clearly tasked the Department of Antiquities with the conservation of the kingdom’s relics,” Alayyan said.