Work on a former car park south of the Thames has revealed a superb Roman mosaic.
A treasure dating from the 2nd century AD
« This is the kind of discovery you make once in a lifetime. Here is what Antonietta Lerz, of the Archaeological Museum of London (MOLA) said, quoted by Pointfollowing the discovery of an exceptional mosaic which certainly covered the floor of the dining room of a Roman villa.
It was exhumed by surprise on the site of Landmark Court, in the heart of the British capital. On the right bank of the Thames, at the intersection of Southwark Street and Redcross Way, was a large car park destined to become a cultural, residential and commercial complex. It was by digging that the workers unearthed this archaeological treasure, dating according to experts from between the year 175 and 225 of the Christian era.
A succession of archaeological discoveries
Since then, the site has obviously been put on hold to turn into an excavation site. Because this mosaic is far from being the only element to discover. In this same area, during the extension of the Jubilee Line in 1981, archaeologists have already found the foundations of a large building dating from Roman times.
Another excavation carried out in October also uncovered several columns of the villa, which measured 13 by 10 meters and had several floors. Ceramic pots, oyster shells, coins and jewelry were also found, witnesses of a rich social and cultural life in London at the beginning of our era. And, these are far from being the only surprises that archaeologists expect to discover, since under the mosaic, elements of the ground suggest an even older habitation site.