A 2,500-year-old lost city has been discovered by archaeologists in Greece some 300km north of Athens.

The ruins are in a village called Vlochos, and while some were known, up until now they were considered to be apart of a settlement on a hill, reports the website Independent.

Now a team of researchers from the Universities of Gothenburg and Bournemouth and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Karditsa have turned their attention to the site, and are being led by Robin Ronnlund.

“A colleague and I came across the site in connection with another project last year, and we realised the great potential right away,” Mr Ronnlund said.

And it would seem they were on to something, since having found remains of towers, walls and city gates on both the summit and slopes of the hill, along with ancient pottery and coins that date as far back as 500 BC.

In their search Mr Ronnlund said the team are hoping to avoid the use of excavation, and instead are using new and progressive methods including a ground-penetrating radar that protects the site and leaves it in the same condition it was found in.

So far the city is believed to have been developed around the fourth to third century BC, after which it was abandoned. While the reasons for this remain unknown, given the estimated dates, it could have been due to the Roman conquest that took place in the area.

“Very little is known about ancient cities in the region, and many researchers have previously believed that western Thessaly was somewhat of a backwater during antiquity,” Mr Ronnlund said.

“Our project therefore fills an important gap in the knowledge about the area and shows that a lot remains to be discovered in the Greek soil.

“The fact that nobody has ever explored the hill before is a mystery.”