LONDON – A Roman mausoleum has been unearthed in London and researchers are calling the discovery the “first of its kind.”
The discovery was made at the Liberty of Southwark dig site and includes the walls, interior mosaic flooring, and lower stairs from the mausoleum.
The level of preservation of the interior makes it the most intact Roman mausoleum ever to be discovered in Britain.
A video in the media player at the top of this article shows what archaeologists believe the mausoleum looked like in Roman times.
“This relatively small site in Southwark is a microcosm for the changing fortunes of Roman London – from the early phase of the site where London expands and the area has lavishly decorated Roman buildings, all the way through to the later Roman period when the settlement shrinks and it becomes a more quiet space where people remember their dead,” said Museum of London Archaeology senior archaeologist Antonietta Lerz.
Previous dig work at the site in February 2022 unearthed some of the largest Roman mosaics found in London for over 50 years, museum officials said.
“It provides a fascinating window into the living conditions and lifestyle in this part of the city in the Roman period,” said Lerz.
Museum officials said Landsec and Transport for London are working together are working to restore and retain the mausoleum.
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