Archaeologists have uncovered a set of “incredibly” rare Roman sculptures while excavating a site in England ahead of a high-speed rail project, the rail company said in a statement.
Two complete statues of a woman and a man, with the head of a child, were found at the site of the old St Mary Norman Church in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, south east England, while archaeologists excavated a moat around the foundation. An Anglo-Saxon tower.
As experts working on the High Speed 2 (HS2) project, they found three “stylistically Roman” busts, a discovery that archaeologists have described as “astonishing”.
A rare Roman glass jug was found during excavations at the site of the old St Mary’s Church in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire. Credit: HS2
“It is beyond exciting for us to conclude the excavations with these astonishing discoveries,” said Rachel Wood, lead archaeologist at Fusion JV, which is working on the project, in a statement.
“The sculptures are exceptionally well preserved, and you really get a sense of the people they portray – literally seeing the faces of the past is a unique experience,” Wood said.
“Of course, it makes us wonder what else could be buried under the medieval village churches of England. This has really happened once in a lifetime and we all look forward to hearing what experts tell us about these incredible sculptures. What else can I tell and the history of the site before the Norman Church was built.”
HS2 Archaeologists excavating Roman artifacts. Credit: HS2
The two busts were made of a head and torso that were separated, which experts say is “not entirely unusual,” as the statues were usually torn apart before they could be found.
Experts also found an “incredibly well-preserved” hexagonal glass Roman jug – believed to be over 1,000 years old, with large pieces intact – as well as large ceiling tiles, painted wall plaster and Roman crematoriums. Kalash.
The team believes that the site – a natural mound, covered with mud to form a tall mound – may have been a Bronze Age burial site. It was later replaced by a square building, which experts believe to be a Roman tomb.
“The Roman material found in the adjoining ditch is very ornate and not sufficient to suggest that the site was a domestic building,” HS2 said in a press release.
The findings will be transferred to a specialist laboratory, where they will be cleaned and examined.
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