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Yahoo
20 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Roman ‘jigsaw' reveals 2,000-year-old wall paintings
An excavation has revealed one of the largest collections of painted Roman wall plaster to be discovered in London. Archaeologists have spent four years working on thousands of fragments of shattered plaster discovered at a site in 2021 in Southwark, near London Bridge station and Borough Market. The researchers have pieced together the artwork of a high-status Roman building. It is believed the frescoes decorated at least 20 internal walls between AD 40 and 150, before the building was demolished and the wall plaster dumped into a pit before the start of the third century. The reconstruction of the wall art has shed further light on high society in Roman Britain. The paintings display yellow panel designs with black intervals, decorated with images of birds, fruit, flowers and lyres. They demonstrate both the wealth and taste of the building's owners, according to the excavation team at the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola). Yellow panel designs were scarce in the Roman period, and repeating yellow panels found at the site in Southwark were even scarcer, making the discovery extremely rare. Among the fragments is rare evidence of a painter's signature – the first known example of this practice in Britain. Framed by a 'tabula ansata', a carving of a decorative tablet used to sign artwork in the Roman world, it contains the Latin word 'fecit', which translates to 'has made this'. But the fragment is broken where the painter's name would have appeared, meaning their identity will likely never be known. Unusual graffiti of the ancient Greek alphabet has also been reconstructed – the only example of this inscription found to date in Roman Britain. The precision of the scored letters suggests that it was done by a proficient writer and not someone undertaking writing practice. It took three months for Han Li, a Mola senior building material specialist, to lay out all the fragments and reconstruct the designs to their original place. He said: 'This has been a 'once-in-a-lifetime' moment, so I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness when I started to lay the plaster out... The result was seeing wall paintings that even individuals of the late Roman period in London would not have seen.' Work to further explore each piece of plaster continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
a day ago
- General
- Telegraph
Roman ‘jigsaw' reveals 2,000-year-old wall paintings
An excavation has revealed one of the largest collections of painted Roman wall plaster to be discovered in London. Archaeologists have spent four years working on thousands of fragments of shattered plaster discovered at a site in 2021 in Southwark, near London Bridge station and Borough Market. The researchers have pieced together the artwork of a high-status Roman building. It is believed the frescoes decorated at least 20 internal walls between AD 40 and 150, before the building was demolished and the wall plaster dumped into a pit before the start of the third century. The reconstruction of the wall art has shed further light on high society in Roman Britain. The paintings display yellow panel designs with black intervals, decorated with images of birds, fruit, flowers and lyres. They demonstrate both the wealth and taste of the building's owners, according to the excavation team at the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola). Yellow panel designs were scarce in the Roman period, and repeating yellow panels found at the site in Southwark were even scarcer, making the discovery extremely rare. Among the fragments is rare evidence of a painter's signature – the first known example of this practice in Britain. Framed by a 'tabula ansata', a carving of a decorative tablet used to sign artwork in the Roman world, it contains the Latin word 'fecit', which translates to 'has made this'. But the fragment is broken where the painter's name would have appeared, meaning their identity will likely never be known. A 'once-in-a-lifetime' moment Unusual graffiti of the ancient Greek alphabet has also been reconstructed – the only example of this inscription found to date in Roman Britain. The precision of the scored letters suggests that it was done by a proficient writer and not someone undertaking writing practice. It took three months for Han Li, a Mola senior building material specialist, to lay out all the fragments and reconstruct the designs to their original place. He said: 'This has been a 'once-in-a-lifetime' moment, so I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness when I started to lay the plaster out... The result was seeing wall paintings that even individuals of the late Roman period in London would not have seen.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Archaeological ‘jigsaw' reveals 2,000-year-old Roman wall paintings
An excavation in London has revealed one of the largest collections of painted Roman wall plaster to be discovered in the capital. Archaeologists have spent four years working on thousands of fragments of shattered plaster discovered at a site in Southwark, near London Bridge station and Borough Market, in 2021 to painstakingly piece together the artwork of a high-status Roman building. It is believed the frescoes once decorated at least 20 internal walls between AD 40 and 150, before the building was demolished and the wall plaster dumped into a pit before the start of the third century. But now the reconstruction of the wall art has shed further light on high society in Roman Britain. The paintings – which display bright yellow panel designs with black intervals, decorated with beautiful images of birds, fruit, flowers, and lyres – demonstrate both the wealth and taste of the building's owners, according to the excavation team at the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola). Yellow panel designs were scarce in the Roman period, and repeating yellow panels found at the site in Southwark were even scarcer, making the discovery extremely rare. Among the fragments is rare evidence of a painter's signature – the first known example of this practice in Britain. Framed by a 'tabula ansata', a carving of a decorative tablet used to sign artwork in the Roman world, it contains the Latin word 'fecit' which translates to 'has made this'. But the fragment is broken where the painter's name would have appeared, meaning their identity will likely never be known. Unusual graffiti of the ancient Greek alphabet has also been reconstructed – the only example of this inscription found to date in Roman Britain. The precision of the scored letters suggests that it was done by a proficient writer and not someone undertaking writing practice. Some fragments imitate high-status wall tiles, such as red Egyptian porphyry – a crystal-speckled volcanic stone – framing the elaborate veins of African giallo antico – a yellow marble. Inspiration for the wall decorations was taken from other parts of the Roman world – such as Xanten and Cologne in Germany, and Lyon in France. It took three months for Mola senior building material specialist Han Li to lay out all the fragments and reconstruct the designs to their original place. He said: 'This has been a 'once-in-a-lifetime' moment, so I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness when I started to lay the plaster out. 'Many of the fragments were very delicate and pieces from different walls had been jumbled together when the building was demolished, so it was like assembling the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle. 'I was lucky to have been helped by my colleagues in other specialist teams for helping me arrange this titanic puzzle as well as interpret ornaments and inscriptions – including Ian Betts and the British School at Rome – who gave me their invaluable opinions and resources. 'The result was seeing wall paintings that even individuals of the late Roman period in London would not have seen.' Speaking to the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, Mr Li said: 'When you are looking at thousands of fragments of wall paintings every day, you start to commit everything to memory. 'You are sometimes working when you are sleeping as well. 'There was one time that I thought that this fragment goes here, and I woke up and it actually happened – so you could say I was working a double shift. 'But it's a beautiful end result.' One fragment features the face of a crying woman with a Flavian period (AD 69-96) hairstyle, hinting at the time period it may have been created. Work to further explore each piece of plaster continues.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Archaeological ‘jigsaw' reveals 2,000-year-old Roman wall paintings
An excavation in London has revealed one of the largest collections of painted Roman wall plaster to be discovered in the capital. Archaeologists have spent four years working on thousands of fragments of shattered plaster discovered at a site in Southwark, near London Bridge station and Borough Market, in 2021 to painstakingly piece together the artwork of a high-status Roman building. It is believed the frescoes once decorated at least 20 internal walls between AD 40 and 150, before the building was demolished and the wall plaster dumped into a pit before the start of the third century. But now the reconstruction of the wall art has shed further light on high society in Roman Britain. The paintings – which display bright yellow panel designs with black intervals, decorated with beautiful images of birds, fruit, flowers, and lyres – demonstrate both the wealth and taste of the building's owners, according to the excavation team at the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola). Yellow panel designs were scarce in the Roman period, and repeating yellow panels found at the site in Southwark were even scarcer, making the discovery extremely rare. Among the fragments is rare evidence of a painter's signature – the first known example of this practice in Britain. Framed by a 'tabula ansata', a carving of a decorative tablet used to sign artwork in the Roman world, it contains the Latin word 'fecit' which translates to 'has made this'. But the fragment is broken where the painter's name would have appeared, meaning their identity will likely never be known. Unusual graffiti of the ancient Greek alphabet has also been reconstructed – the only example of this inscription found to date in Roman Britain. The precision of the scored letters suggests that it was done by a proficient writer and not someone undertaking writing practice. Some fragments imitate high-status wall tiles, such as red Egyptian porphyry – a crystal-speckled volcanic stone – framing the elaborate veins of African giallo antico – a yellow marble. Inspiration for the wall decorations was taken from other parts of the Roman world – such as Xanten and Cologne in Germany, and Lyon in France. It took three months for Mola senior building material specialist Han Li to lay out all the fragments and reconstruct the designs to their original place. He said: 'This has been a 'once-in-a-lifetime' moment, so I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness when I started to lay the plaster out. 'Many of the fragments were very delicate and pieces from different walls had been jumbled together when the building was demolished, so it was like assembling the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle. 'I was lucky to have been helped by my colleagues in other specialist teams for helping me arrange this titanic puzzle as well as interpret ornaments and inscriptions – including Ian Betts and the British School at Rome – who gave me their invaluable opinions and resources. 'The result was seeing wall paintings that even individuals of the late Roman period in London would not have seen.' Speaking to the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, Mr Li said: 'When you are looking at thousands of fragments of wall paintings every day, you start to commit everything to memory. 'You are sometimes working when you are sleeping as well. 'There was one time that I thought that this fragment goes here, and I woke up and it actually happened – so you could say I was working a double shift. 'But it's a beautiful end result.' One fragment features the face of a crying woman with a Flavian period (AD 69-96) hairstyle, hinting at the time period it may have been created. Work to further explore each piece of plaster continues.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I tried the new viral Dubai chocolate ice cream served at a top London attraction – it was a huge disappointment
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NEARLY every food brand has hopped on the Dubai chocolate trend - and I tried out the most recent one that has gone viral online. Made up of a concoction of pistachio cream mixed with shredded filo pastry, all coated in a silky chocolate case - it's no surprise this choccie bar has taken the world by storm. 4 I went to Borough Market to try out the new viral ice cream Credit: Alamy Chocaholics across the globe are so enamoured by it that Dubai's Duty Free sold an eye-watering $22million (£16million) of the bars in just the first three months of 2025. And now, the viral creation has landed in London's Borough Market, served in ice cream form. After clocking the gelato treat on social media - several chocolate-y scoops dripping in lashings of pistachio sauce and served in a pistachio-rimmed cone - I couldn't resist giving it a try. Afterall, we are in the midst of a heatwave and what better way to cool off? The treat hails from a small cafe, Gelateria 3Bis, at the edge of the market, which also sells flakey pastries and baked goods. I was pleasantly surprised to find no queue on a Tuesday lunchtime in 25C sunshine, but perhaps I should have taken that as a sign of things to come. Behind the counter were neat slices of apple and almond tart, slathered in a shiny glaze (£3.50); wedges of a crumbly looking walnut tart (also £3.50); and stacks of cannolis with thick ricotta filling oozing out of each case (£2). They certainly got my stomach gurgling. 'One Dubai chocolate please,' I say. I practically drooled as the lady leaned into the metal tub to scoop the chocolate-y mixture into my cone, waiting for the pistachio magic to happen. Foodies race to buy new Dubai chocolate Easter egg in popular supermarket - the 'filling is crazy' and it's selling FAST 4 The ice cream cost a huge £6.50 But then, nothing. That was it - and a rather naked-looking gelato was handed over to me. Where was my pistachio sauce? Where were the sprinkles I'd seen decadently splashed over the top? And, more importantly, where was the pistachio and filo filling that makes Dubai chocolate what it is? After shelling out a staggering £6.50, I walked away realising that this was a classic case of Insta vs reality trickery. Perhaps I had misordered, I thought. But it couldn't be that. I'd even mentioned that I'd seen it advertised on the cafe's Instagram. Unlike the sensation I'd seen on social media, my two-scoop treat was lacking in decadence. 4 The ice cream was delicious but not what I thought 4 It looked nothing like it I'd been asked if I wanted a 'special cone', not realising that the pistachio cone I'd seen wasn't part of this category – it had apparently been placed in a league of its own. The special cones cost an additional £1.50 and are essentially just a traditional waffle cone dipped in chocolate and then covered in some form of topping like hazelnut or sprinkles. I'm not sure why the pistachio hadn't been offered to me, but when I saw the price - over £2 - I was a little relieved. In terms of flavour, it hit the mark for a decent chocolate gelato: creamy, smooth and indulgent, but not too sweet. And after tucking in, I did notice the odd fleck of green accompanied by a few pastry shards, but these were minimal and the pistachio flavour did not come through at all. I didn't have time to ponder over how little filling was in there, though, as my scoops were melting rapidly. This is the sign of a well-made gelato, I am told, but this seemed a bit extreme. Barely a minute had passed and I was already frantically wiping the melt from my hands and arm. As for the cone, the chocolate rim added a little extra zing to the overall flavour. But I wouldn't be willing to shell out an additional £1.50 again. Perhaps I can't blame it all on the ice cream itself. Maybe the sauce costs extra and the sprinkles do too. But i couldn't see it advertised on the boards and the fact that staff didn't point it out to me when I ordered seems an oversight, not least to say, financially-daft. I reckon if I'd have had the full shebang I would have ended up forking out close to a tenner. So, Dubai chocolate ice cream? Let's not spoil something good. Especially not for prices like this. Here are three other ways to enjoy the Dubai chocolate trend.
