Amazing Ancient Mosaic Found Buried for Thousands of Years: An Unexpected Gift

Scientists are very impressed by the unusual find

In northwest England, archaeologists have discovered a beautiful, remarkably well-preserved mosaic that had been “hidden for thousands of years.” The mosaic, which depicts fish and dolphins, was discovered in the ancient Roman town of Wroxter. The fourth largest city in Roman Britain, which at its height was almost as big as Pompeii, is now an archaeological and educational site located about 50 miles west of Birmingham.

Photo: vianovaarchaeology.com

The mosaic, which preserves vibrant white, red, blue and yellow colors, is the first to be discovered in Roxter since 1859, according to a press release from Vianova Archaeology, which participated in the excavations, CNN notes.

It was likely in the dining room of a wealthy man or city official who “hosted wealthy guests” and who “was determined to impress people with this beautiful mosaic,” Win Scutt, senior curator of estates at English Heritage, told CNN.

Scutt stressed that archaeologists cannot be entirely sure of the find’s purpose because they have only seen “a few glimpses” of it.

“It’s not just self-indulgence,” Scutt added of the mosaic. “I think a lot of it is about appearance, about your position,” he said, adding that the mosaic “was meant to be seen by other people.”

The mosaic, which has six colours and requires stones to be imported from outside the area, and which shows similar patterns, has never been found at Wroxter before, according to Roger White, an archaeologist at the University of Birmingham.

«It's very much in keeping with the times, so this is someone who knew what was fashionable and what to use to make mosaics, he was culturally aware,» White added.

Finding such a mosaic, especially one dating to the early second century, was an unexpected boon for archaeologists. When they began digging, they expected to find only fourth-century finds because they are prohibited from digging in the remains due to the site’s historical significance, Scutt said.

“The archaeological dig will be on multiple levels,” he explained. “The city will be behind the city, because the city has been around for at least 300 years, so there are many levels, and we’ve only been able to get down to the very top level.”

The mosaic has probably only survived all this time because the room was filled with rubble to raise its interior, probably sometime in the 3rd or 4th century, which also allowed archaeologists to get to it without digging through other layers.

“We were excavating in the hope of discovering the walls of this building, but little did we know that we would find beautiful, intact mosaics that had been hidden for thousands of years,” Scutt added in a press release from the charity English Heritage.

The excavations, carried out jointly by Vianova Archaeology, Albion Archaeology, the University of Birmingham and English Heritage, also uncovered a small square shrine or mausoleum, as well as a huge monumental building 50 metres (164 ft) long, located on one of Wroxter's main streets.

So far, archaeologists have been unable to accurately date the monumental structure as they have not excavated the trenches it is in and have no clear theories to explain the presence of such a large building, although Scutt suggests it may have been a ceremonial structure at first and may have later become a shop.

“It’s a bit early to give a precise date, but it’s clear that this was a massive building that must have dominated the town centre for hundreds of years,” he adds.

These latest discoveries add to the story of Wroxter, which researchers have found to have contained more than 200 houses, a public bath, a forum, a county hall and a court centre. It was founded in the mid-1st century as a legionary fortress before the soldiers left and the old fortress continued to grow into a thriving town.

Today, its rural location has protected it from modern development, meaning “there is a stunning level of preservation in the heart of the Roman town that you won’t find anywhere else in the country,” Scutt said.

“So Roxter was special even before the mosaic was found,” he added.