Source link : https://london-news.net/headline-unearthing-london-archaeologists-discover-layers-of-history-from-roman-times-to-the-victorian-era/
For television host and scholar Professor Alice Roberts, the archaeological landscape of London evokes memories of a well-known Italian cuisine.
“In London, it resembles a lasagna. You can excavate down to prehistoric layers or uncover traces from the more recent Victorian and Edwardian periods,” she explains.
The ongoing transformation of London leads to frequent discoveries throughout the city as construction projects pave the way for new buildings. This process offers archaeologists fleeting opportunities to explore what lies beneath the surface.
In recent years, significant finds have included what is believed to be the city’s oldest theater and its first basilica, while excavations in 2021 near The Shard revealed a rare mausoleum and an opulent Roman villa.
Among these discoveries, a series of 20 vibrant frescoes shattered into 10,000 fragments in a Roman pit features prominently in a new season of the BBC Two show, “Digging for Britain.”
“We’re observing these new discoveries emerging from the ground,” says Roberts, who hosts the program.
“We seem to have identified some quite rare pigments [on the frescoes], and one piece possesses a unique feature—a signature that we believe belongs to the artist who created the fresco, making those details both beautiful and extraordinary.”
The excavation was led by a team from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA).
Sophie Jackson, the development director of the group, mentions they were aware that…
—-
Author : [email protected]
Publish date : 2026-01-18 16:20:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
—-
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 – 7 – 8