Thousands of vibrant fragments, which once adorned a high-status Roman building, offer an unprecedented glimpse into the artistic sophistication and daily life of ancient Londinium, and their rearrangement is showcasing artworks that have remained hidden for over 1,800 years.
The discovery, made at “The Liberty” development site in the city’s Southwark neighborhood, builds upon previous significant finds in the area, including intricate mosaics and a rare Roman mausoleum.
The material was found discarded in a sizable pit, shattered as a consequence of Roman-era demolition activities that occurred before A.D. 200.
The painstaking process of reassembling these fragments has been a monumental undertaking, experts say, akin to solving an immense historical puzzle.
The result is a stunning restoration that allows these ancient frescoes to be viewed in their original splendor for the first time in nearly two millennia.
“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,” Li said in a MOLA press release.
“Many of the fragments were very delicate and pieces from different walls had been jumbled together when the building was demolished,” well before the Romans had abandoned Britain as their empire began to recede, he said. “The result was seeing wall paintings that even individuals of the late Roman period in London would not have seen.”
The recovered artworks depict bright yellow panel designs interspersed with black sections, exquisitely decorated with motifs of birds, fruit, flowers and lyres.
Such panel designs were a common feature in Roman wall decoration, according to MOLA, but the prevalence of yellow panels was unusual. Similar designs have been identified at only a handful of sites across Britain, including the opulent Fishbourne Roman Palace, about 60 miles to the southwest of this site.
Framed by a tabula ansata — a decorative tablet that’s typically used to sign artworks — the inscription includes the Latin word ‘FECIT,’ meaning “has made [this].” But the section bearing the artist’s name is missing, leaving their identity a mystery.
Further intriguing details include ancient graffiti left by the building’s occupants or visitors. One fragment features a nearly complete ancient Greek alphabet, the only known instance of such an inscription from Roman Britain.
The precise scoring of the letters suggests a skilled hand, indicating it was not merely writing practice but possibly served a practical purpose, such as a checklist or reference. Another piece reveals the face of a weeping woman, depicted with a hairstyle characteristic of the Flavian period, which dated from A.D. 69-96.
The sheer scale and detail of the Southwark plaster collection provide an unparalleled opportunity, according to MOLA, to study Roman domestic art and the lives of its inhabitants.
Research into each plaster piece is ongoing, with Han Li and his MOLA colleagues continuing to analyze the work of these ancient painters. Their efforts will involve comparing the Liberty wall paintings with other examples from Britain and the broader Roman world.
The findings will be published, and the fragments archived for future academic study, with plans for eventual public display, allowing contemporary audiences to witness these extraordinary artistic legacies from a bygone era.
Source: www.npr.org