Latest news with #MuseumOfLondonArchaeology
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
'World's most difficult jigsaw puzzle': Archaeologists piece together thousands of shattered fresco blocks from ancient Roman villa
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Archaeologists in London have painstakingly pieced together thousands of fragments of an ancient Roman fresco that has not been seen for 1,800 years. "It was like assembling the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle," Han Li, a senior building material specialist at the Museum of London Archaeology, said in a statement. After three months of hard work, the fresco (a painting on plaster) from Roman Britain was back in its original arrangement. It reveals intricate depictions of birds, fruit, flowers and lyres, as well as ancient graffiti and a link to its artist. The shattered plaster pieces were discovered in 2021 in a large pit in the Southwark district of London during redevelopment of the site, according to the BBC. The fresco adorned 20 walls of a building constructed between A.D. 43 and 150. The excavation team blames the destruction of the villa, which happened within 157 years of its construction, for the dilapidated state of the painting. Li was nervous and excited to start the assembly process. "Many of the fragments were very delicate and pieces from different walls had been jumbled together," he said. Related: Rare fresco discovered in Pompeii shows type of woman who 'breaks free from male order to dance freely, go hunting and eat raw meat in the mountains' The art served to demonstrate the wealth and taste of the villa's inhabitants. The painters of the masterpiece seem to have been inspired by aesthetics far across the area of Roman influence, emulating designs from what are now Germany and France, according to the statement. Parts of the fresco display a pattern of rectangular panels, which was common for the period, but the yellow color of the pattern is rare. The Greek alphabet is etched into the plaster as ancient graffiti. Similar findings in Italy point to the alphabet as a checklist or tally, and the quality of the writing suggests the graffiti artist was an experienced writer, the statement reported. The fragments also contain a hint about the fresco's artists. The Latin word "fecit" — which means "has made this" — is identifiable and framed by a decorative carving that Romans used when signing artwork. Much to Li's chagrin, though, the plaster is broken in the spot where a signature would be, so the artists remain a mystery. RELATED STORIES —Ancient fresco of mythical Narcissus found in Pompeii —Gladiators fought in Roman Britain, action-packed cremation urn carvings reveal —Ancient Romans sacrificed birds to the goddess Isis, burnt bones in Pompeii reveal Li also found faintly drawn painter's guidelines that are visible only under certain light. Faint sketches of a flower within a circle can be recognized, but "the painters likely changed their mind and chose not to paint it," Li said in the statement. Many questions about the fresco remain unanswered, including the purpose of the Roman-era building it decorated. But it could have been a commercial property, "perhaps relating to the storage or distribution of storage jars and vessels, brought to London by ship from the wider Roman Empire," the statement reported.
Yahoo
21 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.
