Palestinian workmen surveying a suburb which will be laid with a light rail have stumbled upon a little surprise: An entire city buried 2,000 years ago was underneath the settlement all along.

The city is yet to be properly identified, but archaeologists say that there's a fat chance that it's the ancient city of Noh where ancient Israel's King Saul was chosen by priests in hiding.

Archaeologist Rachel Bar Nathan says "no one knew of a city of this importance just a few kilometres (miles) north of Jerusalem, and its name remains unknown." Using spades and brushes, the 50-member work team explored the ancient city and excavated some interesting finds.

Among the items recovered were jars hidden within building walls containing coins. A gold piece depicting emperor Trajan suggests that the city was visited by Roman forces in the year 98 to 117. Evidence that the city was ransacked, burned and abandoned suggested how the city came to be buried.

Regardless of the discovery, the Palestinian authorities will still pursue the light rail project and will take appropriate measures to preserve the integrity of the site in the process. Their solution? Bury the city all over again after exploration and proceed with the construction.

The city is one of the best of its age when it comes to waterworks as the city has extensive ducts and canals which supplied fresh water to bath houses that used thermal techniques introduced by the Romans.