A unique Roman mosaic showing a famous battle during the Trojan War has been uncovered in an English farmer’s field in Rutland.
It is one of only a handful of mosaics found across Europe and would have formed part of the floor of a Roman villa.
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England described the find as “remarkable”. Historic England believes the villa dates back to the third or forth century AD and would have belonged to a wealthy individual.
Due to its importance, the site has been officially protected as a scheduled monument by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The mosaic shows a scene from Homer’s The Iliad -about the epic fight between Achilles and the Trojan hero, Hector.
Rutland farmer Jim Irvine made the discovery during last year’s lockdown on the land owned by his father Brian Naylor.
He said a ramble through the fields with the family led to the incredible discovery.
“Finding some unusual pottery amongst the wheat piqued my interest and prompted some further investigative work.”
University of Leicester archaeological services (ULAS) led the excavation and discovered the remains of the mosaic, measuring 11m by almost 7m.
John Thomas, of ULAS described the find as “the most exciting Roman masic discovery in the UK in the last century”.
LSL News.