London, a city with a rich history dating back nearly 2,000 years, never fails to surprise with its hidden treasures. Developers often unearth relics of the past when breaking ground for new construction projects, revealing glimpses of ancient structures and burial grounds. Recently, a team of researchers from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) made an incredible discovery at The Liberty development site, unearthing the largest collection of painted Roman plaster ever found in the city.
The artifacts found at The Liberty date back at least 1,800 years, offering a rare glimpse into the past. Among the discoveries were pieces of a high-status Roman building, including a beautifully painted frescoed wall. The building, believed to have been constructed between 43 and 150 C.E., was demolished before 200 C.E., with the plaster pieces discarded in a pit. This find presented a unique opportunity for MOLA researchers to piece together the ancient artwork.
Han Li, MOLA’s Senior Building Material Specialist, led the painstaking reconstruction process, which took three months to complete. The fragments of the fresco had been jumbled together during the building’s demolition, making it a challenging puzzle to solve. Li described the process as akin to assembling the world’s most difficult jigsaw puzzle, with no reference image to guide them.
The Roman plaster revealed intricate details of the era’s painting style, including color panels with border motifs and imitations of costly materials like porphyry. The presence of the color yellow, a rarity in Roman artwork in the U.K., added to the significance of the find. Additionally, the fresco bore graffiti left by visitors, including a depiction of a crying woman with a hairstyle common in the Flavian period, as well as a carved Greek alphabet, possibly used for practical purposes.
One notable detail found on the fresco was a tabula ansata, a decorative tablet used by Roman artists to sign their work. The Latin word “FECIT” was inscribed on the tablet, meaning “has made this,” though the artist’s name remains a mystery due to the fragmentary nature of the piece.
The discovery at The Liberty site sheds new light on London’s Roman past and offers a glimpse into the lives of its ancient inhabitants. To explore more of MOLA’s excavations and projects, visit their website. The painstaking work of researchers like Han Li continues to unearth the secrets of London’s history, piece by piece.
