Latest news with #RomanLondon
CTV News
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Huge Roman frescoes buried in pieces for 1,800 years uncovered
Archaeologists have assembled the 'world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle' to reveal huge frescoes that once adorned a luxury villa in Roman London. Fragments of shattered wall plaster, which were discovered during excavations by experts from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), have been meticulously pieced together to reveal frescoes that covered about 20 internal walls of the building. The significance of the plaster pieces was not immediately apparent when they were first unearthed at a site in Southwark. Thousands of fragments were found dumped in a large pit, probably as a result of Roman demolition work carried out prior to 200 AD, MOLA said. Han Li, senior building material specialist at MOLA, spent three months painstakingly laying out the fragments in order to restore the massive artwork, which has not been seen for more than 1,800 years. It features painted images of fruit, flowers, birds, candelabras and stringed musical instruments popular at the time. worlds most difficult jigsaw puzzle Yellow and imitation porphyry panels. (MOLA) Another piece shows a crying woman with a hairstyle from the Flavian period (69-96 AD). 'This has been a 'once in a lifetime' moment, so I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness when I started to lay the plaster out,' said Li in a MOLA press release sent to CNN Thursday. 'Many of the fragments were very delicate and pieces from different walls had been jumbled together when the building was demolished, so it was like assembling the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle.' The archaeologists, who are continuing to analyze the plasterwork in further depth, believe the paintings were inspired by designs from other parts of the Roman world. 'Some fragments imitate high status wall tiles, such as red Egyptian porphyry (a crystal speckled volcanic stone) framing the elaborate veins of African giallo antico (a yellow marble). Styles like these have been found north of the river in Londinium, in Colchester, Germany, and Pompeii,' the press release says. The identity of one of the painters is also hinted at in a 'tabula ansata,' which is a carving of a decorative tablet, which was then used to sign artwork. One plaster piece is scored with the Latin word 'fecit,' meaning 'has made this.' Unfortunately, the mystery of who the individual was remains as the fragment where their name should be is missing. worlds most difficult jigsaw puzzle The remains of the tabula ansata. (MOLA) Elsewhere, the team discovered an etching of an almost complete Greek alphabet, which appears to have been 'skillfully scored' by a 'proficient writer,' according to the release. It is the only known example of its kind from Roman Britain, but similar examples have been found in Italy. The Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD and founded Londinium, the basis of modern London, shortly afterwards. Their occupation lasted for almost 400 years, ending in 410 AD. This is not the first discovery at the site, which is being redeveloped as The Liberty of Southwark, a complex of offices, homes and shops. Well preserved mosaics that once decorated the floor of a large room were found there in 2022, while a rare Roman mausoleum was unearthed the following year. Article by Lianne Kolirin.
CNN
11 hours ago
- General
- CNN
Huge Roman frescoes buried in pieces for 1,800 years uncovered
Archaeologists have assembled the 'world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle' to reveal huge frescoes that once adorned a luxury villa in Roman London. Fragments of shattered wall plaster, which were discovered during excavations by experts from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), have been meticulously pieced together to reveal frescoes that covered about 20 internal walls of the building. The significance of the plaster pieces was not immediately apparent when they were first unearthed at a site in Southwark. Thousands of fragments were found dumped in a large pit, probably as a result of Roman demolition work carried out prior to 200 AD, MOLA said. Han Li, senior building material specialist at MOLA, spent three months painstakingly laying out the fragments in order to restore the massive artwork, which has not been seen for more than 1,800 years. It features painted images of fruit, flowers, birds, candelabras and stringed musical instruments popular at the time. Another piece shows a crying woman with a hairstyle from the Flavian period (69-96 AD). 'This has been a 'once in a lifetime' moment, so I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness when I started to lay the plaster out,' said Li in a MOLA press release sent to CNN Thursday. 'Many of the fragments were very delicate and pieces from different walls had been jumbled together when the building was demolished, so it was like assembling the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle.' The archaeologists, who are continuing to analyze the plasterwork in further depth, believe the paintings were inspired by designs from other parts of the Roman world. 'Some fragments imitate high status wall tiles, such as red Egyptian porphyry (a crystal speckled volcanic stone) framing the elaborate veins of African giallo antico (a yellow marble). Styles like these have been found north of the river in Londinium, in Colchester, Germany, and Pompeii,' the press release says. The identity of one of the painters is also hinted at in a 'tabula ansata,' which is a carving of a decorative tablet, which was then used to sign artwork. One plaster piece is scored with the Latin word 'fecit,' meaning 'has made this.' Unfortunately, the mystery of who the individual was remains as the fragment where their name should be is missing. Elsewhere, the team discovered an etching of an almost complete Greek alphabet, which appears to have been 'skillfully scored' by a 'proficient writer,' according to the release. It is the only known example of its kind from Roman Britain, but similar examples have been found in Italy. The Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD and founded Londinium, the basis of modern London, shortly afterwards. Their occupation lasted for almost 400 years, ending in 410 AD. This is not the first discovery at the site, which is being redeveloped as The Liberty of Southwark, a complex of offices, homes and shops. Well preserved mosaics that once decorated the floor of a large room were found there in 2022, while a rare Roman mausoleum was unearthed the following year.
CNN
11 hours ago
- General
- CNN
Huge Roman frescoes buried in pieces for 1,800 years uncovered
Archaeologists have assembled the 'world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle' to reveal huge frescoes that once adorned a luxury villa in Roman London. Fragments of shattered wall plaster, which were discovered during excavations by experts from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), have been meticulously pieced together to reveal frescoes that covered about 20 internal walls of the building. The significance of the plaster pieces was not immediately apparent when they were first unearthed at a site in Southwark. Thousands of fragments were found dumped in a large pit, probably as a result of Roman demolition work carried out prior to 200 AD, MOLA said. Han Li, senior building material specialist at MOLA, spent three months painstakingly laying out the fragments in order to restore the massive artwork, which has not been seen for more than 1,800 years. It features painted images of fruit, flowers, birds, candelabras and stringed musical instruments popular at the time. Another piece shows a crying woman with a hairstyle from the Flavian period (69-96 AD). 'This has been a 'once in a lifetime' moment, so I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness when I started to lay the plaster out,' said Li in a MOLA press release sent to CNN Thursday. 'Many of the fragments were very delicate and pieces from different walls had been jumbled together when the building was demolished, so it was like assembling the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle.' The archaeologists, who are continuing to analyze the plasterwork in further depth, believe the paintings were inspired by designs from other parts of the Roman world. 'Some fragments imitate high status wall tiles, such as red Egyptian porphyry (a crystal speckled volcanic stone) framing the elaborate veins of African giallo antico (a yellow marble). Styles like these have been found north of the river in Londinium, in Colchester, Germany, and Pompeii,' the press release says. The identity of one of the painters is also hinted at in a 'tabula ansata,' which is a carving of a decorative tablet, which was then used to sign artwork. One plaster piece is scored with the Latin word 'fecit,' meaning 'has made this.' Unfortunately, the mystery of who the individual was remains as the fragment where their name should be is missing. Elsewhere, the team discovered an etching of an almost complete Greek alphabet, which appears to have been 'skillfully scored' by a 'proficient writer,' according to the release. It is the only known example of its kind from Roman Britain, but similar examples have been found in Italy. The Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD and founded Londinium, the basis of modern London, shortly afterwards. Their occupation lasted for almost 400 years, ending in 410 AD. This is not the first discovery at the site, which is being redeveloped as The Liberty of Southwark, a complex of offices, homes and shops. Well preserved mosaics that once decorated the floor of a large room were found there in 2022, while a rare Roman mausoleum was unearthed the following year.
CNN
11 hours ago
- General
- CNN
Huge Roman frescoes buried in pieces for 1,800 years uncovered
Archaeologists have assembled the 'world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle' to reveal huge frescoes that once adorned a luxury villa in Roman London. Fragments of shattered wall plaster, which were discovered during excavations by experts from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), have been meticulously pieced together to reveal frescoes that covered about 20 internal walls of the building. The significance of the plaster pieces was not immediately apparent when they were first unearthed at a site in Southwark. Thousands of fragments were found dumped in a large pit, probably as a result of Roman demolition work carried out prior to 200 AD, MOLA said. Han Li, senior building material specialist at MOLA, spent three months painstakingly laying out the fragments in order to restore the massive artwork, which has not been seen for more than 1,800 years. It features painted images of fruit, flowers, birds, candelabras and stringed musical instruments popular at the time. Another piece shows a crying woman with a hairstyle from the Flavian period (69-96 AD). 'This has been a 'once in a lifetime' moment, so I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness when I started to lay the plaster out,' said Li in a MOLA press release sent to CNN Thursday. 'Many of the fragments were very delicate and pieces from different walls had been jumbled together when the building was demolished, so it was like assembling the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle.' The archaeologists, who are continuing to analyze the plasterwork in further depth, believe the paintings were inspired by designs from other parts of the Roman world. 'Some fragments imitate high status wall tiles, such as red Egyptian porphyry (a crystal speckled volcanic stone) framing the elaborate veins of African giallo antico (a yellow marble). Styles like these have been found north of the river in Londinium, in Colchester, Germany, and Pompeii,' the press release says. The identity of one of the painters is also hinted at in a 'tabula ansata,' which is a carving of a decorative tablet, which was then used to sign artwork. One plaster piece is scored with the Latin word 'fecit,' meaning 'has made this.' Unfortunately, the mystery of who the individual was remains as the fragment where their name should be is missing. Elsewhere, the team discovered an etching of an almost complete Greek alphabet, which appears to have been 'skillfully scored' by a 'proficient writer,' according to the release. It is the only known example of its kind from Roman Britain, but similar examples have been found in Italy. The Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD and founded Londinium, the basis of modern London, shortly afterwards. Their occupation lasted for almost 400 years, ending in 410 AD. This is not the first discovery at the site, which is being redeveloped as The Liberty of Southwark, a complex of offices, homes and shops. Well preserved mosaics that once decorated the floor of a large room were found there in 2022, while a rare Roman mausoleum was unearthed the following year.
BBC News
12 hours ago
- Science
- BBC News
Huge ancient Roman wall paintings pieced together
Archaeologists have put together thousands of pieces of wall plaster to reveal paintings that once decorated a luxurious Roman villa in include illustrations of flowers, birds, fruit and musical believe that the paintings date back to the first or second fragments were first discovered four years ago, but it's taken researchers until now to sort through all the pieces. What did experts find? The painted pieces of plaster - also known as frescoes - were found in Southwark in central London, situated on banks of the River Thames in 2021. Experts from the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola) say the frescoes are from at least 20 walls of a large also think that the grand building may have been home to a wealthy family or a hotel for rich travellers passing through Li, from Mola, spent many months with the pieces of plaster, carefully examining each piece to put together what he describes as "the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle"."It's one of the biggest - if not the biggest - assemblages of Roman wall plaster and paintings we've ever found in Roman London," he explained. Mr Li added that the fragile nature of the ancient fragments made this even more of a challenge."You have to be very careful because you can only assemble the pieces a small number of times before the plaster starts to be damaged and it flakes off."So you have to be quite sure before you join the pieces that this is the piece that may fit," he Romans founded London in 43AD, and archaeologists believe that the villa was built soon after, when the new city was growing rapidly.
