A “jigsaw” of 2,000 year old fragments have been pieced together by archaeologists to reveal a remarkable Roman wall painting.
Pieces of the fresco were discovered on a site in central London that was being redeveloped in 2021.
A team of archeologists have now reconstructed the pieces of shattered plaster, revealing a detailed wall painting believed to have once donned the walls of a home in the “Beverly Hills of Roman London“.
Among the 120 boxes of fragments is rare evidence of a painter’s signature, as well as unusual graffiti of the ancient Greek alphabet alongside beautiful drawings of birds, fruit and flowers.
The frescoes once decorated around 20 internal walls of an early Roman building, making them one of the largest collections of painted Roman plaster ever discovered in London.
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They are believed to have been shattered into thousands of fragments by demolition works which took place at some point before AD 200.
Almost 2,000 years later, they were discovered dumped in a large pit at ‘The Liberty’ development site in Southwark, and a team at Mola (Museum of London Archaeology) has now finally put the puzzle together.
Mola senior building material specialist Han Li 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.
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“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.”
The paintings were designed to show off both the wealth and excellent taste of the building’s owner or owners. They include bright yellow panel designs with black intervals beautifully decorated with images of birds, fruit, flowers, and lyres.
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While panel designs were common during the Roman period, yellow panels were not, having only been identified at only a few sites across the country.
Andrew Henderson-Schwartz from Mola told the BBC: “There was this thriving, bustling settlement quite early on in the Roman period, and it’s almost the kind of wealthy suburb – the Beverly Hills of Roman London,.
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“And what this shows is that the Romans are committing to London. They’re investing in London, and they’re seeing it as a place to settle in, a place to stay. It’s not just a kind of provincial outpost.”
The plaster also featured the remains of evidence that the artist signed the fresco – the first known example in Britain.
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On fragment contains the Latin word ‘FECIT’ which translates to “has made this”. Tragically, the fragment is broken where the painter’s name would have appeared, meaning their identity will likely never be known.
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The plaster also reveals traces left behind by the building’s owners and visitors – in the form of ancient graffiti. This includes an etching of a near complete Greek alphabet – the only known example of this inscription from Roman Britain.
Another fragment features the face of a crying woman with a Flavian period (AD 69-96) hairstyle.
