O My! THE GAUL OF IT ALL!

As a sophomore in a high school that taught Latin-as-a-living-language we learned that The Roman Empire "Gaul was divided into three (or was it four?) parts. . ." and we know all about Hadrian's Wall, But this recently discovery ASTOUNDING!

Archaeology 

An archaeologist holds the statue of the head and shoulders of a Roman woman uncovered at a dig site at Saint Mary's Church, Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire. Photograph: HS2/PA

Harriet Sherwood Arts and culture correspondent

@harrietsherwood

Fri 29 Oct 2021 01.00 EDT Last modified on Fri 29 Oct 2021 09.58 EDT

‘Astounding’ Roman statues unearthed at Norman church ruins on route of HS2

Heads of man, woman and child found on site of Stoke Mandeville church built in 1080 and abandoned 800 years later

 

Harriet Sherwood: "

Roman statues of a man, woman and child have been uncovered by archaeologists at an abandoned medieval church on the route of the HS2 high-speed railway.

The discovery was “utterly astounding”, according to Rachel Wood, the lead archaeologist at the site in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire. “They’re really rare finds in the UK,” she said.

“The statues are exceptionally well preserved, and you really get an impression of the people they depict – literally looking into the faces of the past is a unique experience.”

A hexagonal glass Roman jug was also uncovered. Despite being in the ground for what is thought to be more than 1,000 years, large pieces were intact. The only known comparable item is a vessel on display in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The statues were unearthed at the ruins of a Norman church, where a team of archaeologists has been working for the past six months.

Saint Mary’s church was built in 1080, and renovated in the 13th, 14th and 17th centuries. It was abandoned in 1880, and demolished in 1966 after being declared dangerous. Its ruins became overgrown with vegetation.

In May, archaeologists and engineers began removing the remaining structure of the church and excavating the burial ground that was in use for 900 years, with the last recorded interment in 1908.

Experts believe the location was used as a Roman mausoleum before the Norman church was built. About 3,000 bodies have been removed and will be reburied at a new site.

Wood said the discovery of the statues and jug “leads us to wonder what else might be buried beneath England’s medieval village churches. This has truly been a once in a lifetime site and we are all looking forward to hearing what more the specialists can tell us about these incredible statues and the history of the site before the construction of the Norman church.”

They have been sent to a laboratory for specialist cleaning and analysis.[. . .]

READ MORE: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/oct/29/astounding-roman-statues-unearthed-at-norman-church-ruins-on-route-of-hs2