Huge archaeological puzzle reveals Roman London frescoes

Archaeologists have combined thousands of pieces of 2,000 year old wall plaster together to reveal notable frescoes decorating a magnificent Roman villa.

The broken plaster was discovered at a site in Central London in 2021 which is being redeveloped, but it has been taken so far to re -organize this Kolowal puzzle.

The frescoes are from at least 20 walls of the building, with the beauty -painted details of musical instruments, birds, flowers and fruits.

Art is more disclosed about the prosperity of the region where they were found – described by the team as “Beverly Hills of Roman London”.

There is also a clue about the artists who were the artists: A piece is scored with a Latin word fakeit, meaning “it is made” – but the piece where the name should be missing.

The Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) team still hopes to find a significant piece as they will get through pieces.

“This is the greatest – if the Roman wall is not the biggest assembly of plaster and painting, which we have ever found in Roman London,” Han Lee said to Mola.

The largest of Fresco, measuring about 5 meters from 3 meters, is a lower part of pel pink, which is dotted with a species of paint to mimic marble. There are rich yellow panels with soft green borders above.

Wall paintings are beautified with candles, stringent equipment, called lyrics, white cranes, and a delicate daisy.

There is also that a bunch of grapes appears, but archaicians believe that it is a plant that grows locally – Mistleto.

“This is really quite interesting for me, because you are seeing that the Roman painters are taking a classical idea and they are very northwest European, or local, bend on it. I think it’s fantastic,” Han Lee says.

They spent several months with a thunder of plaster, carefully to keep each piece together which he described as the “world’s most difficult ara puzzle”.

The fragility of ancient pieces made it a more challenge.

He said, “You have to be very careful because you can collect the pieces only a few times before the plaster starts to be damaged and it stops.”

“So you should be quite sure before joining the pieces that it is the piece that can fit.”

Romans founded London in AD43, and Villa was soon built, dating in the first or second century when the new city was growing rapidly.

Archaeologists feel that this grand building may be in a hotel for a rich family or rich passengers passing through Londinium.

They are comparing frescoes to other people found in Britain and Europe, and believe they were created by a group of highly skilled painters who traveled to the Roman Empire.

Han Lee said, “They have come to Roman London, where there was a building bounce with many houses and several buildings, going to the necessary paintings. And they essentially took the huge commissions of work.”

“It is surprising to imagine that his work is now visible to us again after 2,000 years.”

However, the accurate identity of the artists will remain elusive until the missing piece is found in their names.

To the south of the plaster temperature, it was found in Southworks. A stunning mosaic And Roman cemetery The site was also detected, which was being excavated in preparation for a new development.

This place, outside the central center of Roman London, is also revealing how the city was spreading.

Mola’s Andrew Henderson -Shwartz said, “This rich, stirred settlement during the Roman period, and it is almost that kind of rich suburb – Roman London’s Beverly Hills.”

“And it shows that Roman are committed to London. They are investing in London, and they are looking at it as a place to settle, a place to live. It’s not just a kind of provincial outpost.”

There is still a lot from Fresco pieces, which helps archaeologists to re -organize the story of the rich Roman history of the UK.

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