'Extraordinary' Roman Mosaic and Villa Found in Farmer's Field

Storyful
3 年前

A university in England has called “extraordinary” the discovery of a large Roman mosaic and villa in a field at a farm in Rutland.

The find was made by Jim Irvine, the son of the landowner.

Speaking in a video released by the University of Leicester, he says he first noticed some pottery fragments on the ground in a field last year. He contacted a local museum, he says, after observing a crop mark on satellite imagery.

According to John Thomas, director of the University of Leicester’s Archaeological Services department, the mosaic, set in a villa, is “unique” in Britain. It depicts Achilles’ battle with Hector at the end of the Trojan War across several panels, “almost in comic book style,” he said.

The University of Leicester said the villa complex encompasses “a host of other structures and buildings.”

The site has been protected by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as a scheduled monument on the advice of Historic England, the university said. Credit: University of Leicester via Storyful