The subterranean burial that was found is approximately 2,500 years old, but researchers hadn't been able prior to access all the Greek burials.

Illustrative image of an underground tomb.

According to a new study, cosmic rays and lasers were used to uncover a 2,500-year-old Greek settlement beneath Naples, Italy.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports last month, states that catacombs of Christians who lived there during the Roman era were also discovered. The discovery was specifically located in the “Sanità” district near the center of the city.

According to the study, the researchers who took part already knew about the Greek burials but were unable to reach them until cosmic rays made it possible for them to look inside the archeological sites without having to dig. The process of the researchers' use of muography to find previously undetected subsurface voids is also described in depth.

Describing the muon

A muon is a subatomic particle that has a mass larger than that of an electron. Muons are created by cosmic rays in the Earth's atmosphere, and their traces were captured using nuclear emulsion technology.

Moon and Earth’s Atmosphere (credit: NASA)

The muons, which are "high energy charged particles produced by cosmic rays," were detected using detectors that could be found underground at a depth of 18 meters. This was done to track the muon flux over a number of weeks.

According to the analysis, the locations most likely date back to when Naples was still known as "Cumae." It was also known as Neapolis (New City).

Another significant archaeological find was made in Naples this month; according to a report from last week, archaeologists from two Naples-area institutions discovered the ruins of an ancient temple that had been submerged in the western Mediterranean off the city's shore. The Nabatean temple, which was erected in honor of the god Dushara, is thought to have existed while the Phlegrean Peninsula was inhabited by the Nabataeans.