like Bruges in Belgium there's still an awful lot of treasures to be found. I had an uncle once and he worked as a builder there three decades ago, and the stories that he could tell about items not been reported after being found in the ground where new buildings were going to be erected always amazed me. Hopefully it's much better recorded or even preserved nowadays.
@GeretJan lookup on youtube the story of englands king richard III who lived in the 1400's. his grave was found under a car park in 2012, then examined and moved
It's only relatively recently that people have become more caring about the past; but also a lot of material was buried over the centuries in disasters like major fires and wars, as well as by more normal demolition and redevelopment.
In fact towns now are usually very keen to display what they find about their past, not out of some strange shame about the present, but to celebrate their history..
@ArishMell Not really, because over here in Ypres one just cemented the old walls of the medieval town and constructed the new supermarket on top of it. Of cours, inside the last the visitor will still enlarged photographs of the walls underneath tons of concrete.
@GeretJan Oh yes, there has been plenty of destruction by property-developers and town councils, but I don't think it's out of any sense of erasure. Just convenience (and money for the developers, of course.)
