STRASBOURG: Few grocery shoppers in a regular central Strasbourg supermarket have any idea that below their feet is a third-century tower that once helped defend the Roman empire.

The ancient semi-circular structure part of fortifications against attack by Germanic tribes then known as `barbarians` from the east now shares space with pallets, boxes and stepladders in the basement of the supermarket in the eastern French city`s main tourist area.

Nothing above ground hints at the presence of the Roman structure, with the shop fearing being overrun by curious crowds if it became too well-known.

`It would be difficult to organise visits to the tower because of safety considerations,` said store manager Gwendal LeGourrierec. `But Pye never turned anybody down who wanted to see it.` There is, meanwhile, no legal obligation to do so, noted Quentin Richard, curator at Strasbourg`s archaeological museum.

A door at the far end of the store, marked `staff only`, leads to a stone staircase which brings a visitor face to face with the 1,700-year-old monument. `We walk past it every day,` said Le Gourrierec. `It`s an unusualexperience.

The tower, which now stands just under 3.5 metres tall, was originally nearly three times that height, said Maxime Werle, at the regional archaeological service. It belonged to a Roman military camp of around 20 hectares, he said, which covered much of today`s downtown Strasbourg and housed some 6,000 legionaries.-AFP