Ancient Residences Surface in Tartu
Archaeologists have unearthed four ancient dwellings since they started digging last year on the slope of Toomemägi, the hill that dominates central Tartu.
The diele-dornse style buildings are connected to walls scaling up to three meters in height which trace back several hundred years further than most of Tartu's 19th-century Old Town, Eesti Päevaleht reported.
"For a historian this is like winning the lottery," said archaeologist Aivar Kriiska.
"Perhaps in Tallinn's Old Town such a find wouldn't be anything new, but in Tartu the only things dating to this era are two churches."
The digging was commissioned by the Heino Eller Music School, which is looking to expand its campus.