Construction workers in the city of Tula unearthed medieval homes and jewelry while building an underground car park near the city's kremlin, a local museum said Monday.
The workers have now handed over digging duties to archeologists from the local Kulikovo Field museum who said they had identified homes and possessions dating back as far as the 16th century.
Archeologists said in a statement that the earliest finds were homes built by potters and bricklayers who settled in the area when working on the city's kremlin, or fortress.
A century later the Uspensky Monastery appeared on the site, while stone buildings were added from the 18th century onward.
Aside from buildings, archeologists chanced upon household goods, weapons, decorative items and a baptismal cross. The finds will be on display at the Kulikovo Field museum for visitors to see once the excavation work is completed.