A team of archaeologists led by Elena Korka have located the first tangible remains of Tenea – a lost city that the ancient Greeks believed was first settled by Trojan captives of war after the sack of Troy.

News of the discovery near the village of Chiliomodi in the southern Peloponnese, where excavations were being carried out from September to early October, was revealed on Tuesday by Greece’s Culture Ministry.

Seven graves were uncovered dating to the Roman era and Hellenistic period, unearthing vases and jewellery, along with skeletons of a woman and a child, and for the first time remnants of a settlement.

Among the discoveries were walls, clay, stone and marble floors, household pottery, a bone gaming die, as well as over 200 coins ranging from the 4th century BC to late Roman times, which Ms Korka said pointed to the revelation that the city was wealthy during its heyday.

Among the more unusual discoveries was a pottery jar, which contained the remains of two human fetuses.

Ms Korka who has been excavating in the area since 2013, told The Associated Press that they had only been digging in the rich cemeteries surrounding Tenea, and this year commenced excavations on part of the city itself.

“It is significant that the remnants of the city, the paved roads, the architectural structure, came to light,” Ms Korka said in an interview with Reuters.

Tenea is somewhat of an allusive city, with little known about the area other than its link to Troy and that its citizens were among the Greek colonists who founded Syracuse in Sicily.

The ancient city survived the Roman destruction of Corinth in 146 BC and flourished under Roman rule. In the late 4th century AD, it is believed the city may have been damaged during a Gothic invasion and was likely abandoned two centuries later when Slavic invasions took place.

“[The city] had distinctive pottery shapes with eastern influences, maintained contacts with both east and west … and had its own way of thinking, which, to the extent that it could, shaped its own policies,” Ms Korka explained.

“We’ve found evidence of life and death … and all this is just a small part of the history of the place. The coming years will allow us to evaluate where we stand.”

Excavations will continue in the area, expected to uncover more pieces to the historical puzzle.