Archaeologists in London have discovered the city's largest Roman mosaic in more than 50 years, working against the brightness of the Shard, a 72-story modern skyscraper built by Renzo Piano and completed in 2013. While preparing grounds for a significant renovation by U+I, a development arm owned by Landsec, one of the leading real estate developers in the UK, researchers from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) discovered the mosaic panels in the city's Southwark neighborhood.
According to a press release released by the company, the mosaics are thought to date from A.D. 175–225 and presumably formed part of a magnificent dining room floor, in keeping with other findings in the area, which was known as Londinium, or Roman London. "Everyone on site was quite excited when the first flashes of color started to peek through the dirt," MOLA site supervisor Antonietta Lerz said in a statement. "In London, this is a once-in-a-lifetime find." The two mosaic panels are in excellent condition, with a square of white tiles surrounding floral and geometric forms in blue and dark red in a guilloche pattern set inside a vast red field.
Solomon's knot patterns and stylized flowers were also identified by archaeologists as being similar to mosaics created by the Acanthus Group mosaicists, a group called by archaeologist David Neal for its unusual artistry. According to a press release from Landsec, a remarkably similar design was unearthed in Germany, and the connection "provides interesting evidence for traveling Roman artisans at work in London."
The mosaics were most likely placed in a wide chamber with visitor dining sofas. The room could have been in a Roman mansion or expensive hotel, researchers believe, reflecting the type of property the business plans to create. (Landsec is now developing the land with new residential complexes, retail, and restaurants.) Based on fragments of terrazzo-style floors, broken paint from colorful walls, and remnants of jewelry and bone hairpins, archaeologists discovered another big house that was presumably the private dwelling of a dignitary or wealthy landowner during previous excavations.
Jean Dubreil