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The city Londoner has witnessed a surprising discovery made by a team of archaeologists from the Museum of London. In the area between London Bridge tube station and The Shard, the tallest building in the United Kingdom, at 309.7 meters high, archaeologists have discovered one more piece of ancient Roman Londinium, a find that they have described as “incredibly rare”: the remains of a mysterious mausoleum some 1,700 years old.
The funerary structure, possibly used by members of the Roman elite in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries AD, it still preserves part of its walls, and the original pavement It is decorated with a beautiful mosaic of floral motifs. For the experts of the Museum of London it would be one of the best preserved Roman constructions in all of Great Britain.
the neighborhood of Southwarkthe place where this discovery was made, was already a protagonist last year as it was the setting where a huge mosaic decorated with elaborate geometric motifs was found that would have formed part of the triclinium of a residence (a type of hostel for officials and businessmen passing through the city).
Archaeologists from the Museum of London carried out restoration work on the mausoleum platform.
Archaeologists from the Museum of London carried out restoration work on the mausoleum platform.
MOLA
Roman luxury
Thus, the discovery of this mausoleum would confirm Southwark as one of the most unique Roman sites in the British Isles. “It is a microcosm of the changing fortunes of Roman London, from the initial phase, with luxuriously decorated buildings, to the period in which the settlement is reduced and converted into a quieter space, where people come to remember their dead. It opens a fascinating window into the conditions and lifestyle in this part of the Roman city,” said Antonietta Lerz, archaeologist and director of the research project.
The discovery of this mausoleum would confirm Southwark as one of the most unique Roman sites in the British Isles.
Image of one of the rooms of the mausoleum in which a beautiful floral mosaic was found.
Image of one of the rooms of the mausoleum in which a beautiful floral mosaic was found.
MOLA
Excavations at Southwark have revealed that in addition to the raised platform and intact entrance steps, the mausoleum had two more floors, which proves that at some point the structure was modified. One of the clearest evidence of the changes the building underwent is provided by the central mosaic, in which a flower can be seen surrounded by a series of concentric circles that hides another set of tiles with a very similar design.
With everything, archaeologists consider that its level of conservation is excellent. “Roman mausoleums are not particularly unusual. We know of a few examples from Southwark and Roman London, but generally only the foundations remain and we’ve only been able to glimpse the footprint of the building. So this is truly exceptional,” Lerz said.
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A “unique” enclosure
During the excavations in the mausoleum, archaeologists have located the enclosure where, at the time, the funerary urns were deposited, although to date no human remains could be discovered inside of the funerary structure. What has been found are various materials such as coins, ceramic remains, tiles and various pieces of metal.
“It must have been a high-status building. Its owner, whether a wealthy person or a family, would have had the necessary means to build it,” suggests the archaeologist. Another of the hypotheses that researchers are considering is that this place was some kind of paid graveyard. As for its future, the researchers believe that it is possible that the mausoleum was destroyed during the Middle Ages for the reuse of its materials, something quite common at that time.
The researchers believe that it is possible that the mausoleum was destroyed during the Middle Ages for the reuse of its materials.
Archaeologists from the Museum of London analyze the tesserae found under the floral mosaic.
Archaeologists from the Museum of London analyze the tesserae found under the floral mosaic.
MOLA
Finally, once the pertinent analyzes and studies have been carried out to guarantee the perfect conservation of the archaeological remains, the mausoleum, which has been described by archaeologists as a “totally unique” find, and of which a 3D model has already been made, it will be exhibited to the public in its original location.
2023-06-15 07:18:46
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