A pristine Roman sculpture, almost too good to be true – The Property Chronicle
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A pristine Roman sculpture, almost too good to be true It is believed that this statue once adorned a rich mausoleum

The Architect

In 2013 archaeologists from MOLA discovered an extraordinary Roman sculpture on the last day of excavation for the development of Motel One. In this article the astonishing story of the sculpture is revealed.

Working on a site in the City of London, ahead of development of a 16 storey 291 bed hotel by Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) and its development partners Endurance Land, the archaeologists from MOLA were at first hesitant to announce the discovery and to proclaim its Roman origins, owing to its almost unbelievable preservation.

Having consulted world-leading specialists the team confirmed that the sculpture, in the form of eagle firmly grasping a writhing serpent in its beak, dated to the 1st or 2nd century AD.

 

(c) MOLA






The Architect

About MOLA

MOLA

MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology) has been working with the property development sector to uncover the history buried beneath our streets for over 40 years. The largest archaeology and built heritage practice in the country, they help their commercial partners to achieve planning consent swiftly and expertly and make sure that the development sector’s investment in archaeological research makes an impact through its research and engagement programmes.  In this series of articles the specialists from MOLA share some of their amazing discoveries and research. Find out more about MOLA’s services and research and engagement project at www.mola.org.uk.

Articles by MOLA

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