Ancient carving — from first century — discovered in France. See gruesome depiction

Toul, a city in northeastern France, is moving into a new age.

In the city center, a large-scale construction project is underway to install a heating network, a system of underground pipes that pump hot water , preventing the need for individual boilers or electric heaters in every building.

The city expected the construction to be significant, planning to lay more than a mile of pipe from March to November of 2024. Researchers didn’t expect to make monumental discoveries along the way.

Toul is an ancient city existing in a modern time, built first at the crossroads of Roman roads and then developed well into the 19th century, according to a July 18 news release from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research.

A bishop’s seat was first established in the fourth century, officials said, and during the Middle Ages the medieval town was fortified for its strategic military location.

In April, as trenches were dug for the heating network, researchers discovered the remnant of a 7-foot-thick Roman wall along the eastern side of the city, according to the release.

Now, more has been discovered.

Uncover more archaeological finds

What are we learning about the past? Here are three of our most recent eye-catching archaeology stories.

→ Muddy riverbank hid ruins of 1,700-year-old settlement — until now. See the finds

→ Surprised workers find centuries-old paintings hidden at convent in Italy. Take a look

→ Metal detectorists search WWI battleground in Poland — then find something much older

A low wall or pillar in Roman style was found close to the defensive wall, researchers said. It was discovered about 8 feet deep.

About 20 feet away from the wall, a sculpted block of limestone was discovered in very good condition, according to the release.

Researchers believe the block once belonged to a monumental building, but then at some point later in history it was broken and used as part of the defensive wall.

The block is about 4 feet long and 3 feet deep, and weighs upwards of 800 pounds, according to the release. It was likely larger before it was broken apart.

The stone is intricately carved, researchers said, covered in plant decoration in the Corinthian style. This type of carving was developed in the first and second centuries in Rome and used throughout the empire, researchers said. One image also depicts a potin leuque, a type of currency from the first century.

But in between the artistic carvings, a more violent image is cut into the stone.

The severed head of a Gaul is carved with a hollow eye, and the head is resting on what is identified as a Roman sword. Researchers said the image is a clear depiction of the Romans’ victory over the Gallic people in northeastern France.

The vines along the bottom of the image, called a frieze, are also similar to other Gallic sites where they were carved into monumental public buildings, officials said.

The Gauls were an agricultural society divided into tribes who lived in modern-day France, Belgium and parts of Germany before the Roman invasion, according to Britannica.

The group collided with the Romans for centuries as far back as the fifth century B.C., according to Britannica, and the two cultures became intertwined until their eventual demise at the end of the Roman Empire.

Toul is located in northeastern France near the border with Germany, about a 100-mile drive south from Luxembourg.

Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research.

Ancient Roman medical tools were found 125 years ago. Now, scans reveal their purpose

Ruins of Roman villa lay buried under English countryside for centuries — until now

2,000-year-old kiln — reaching over 1,600 degrees — discovered in France. Take a look

Ruins of 600-year-old defensive walls found in downtown Barcelona. Take a look