Excavations at Wroxeter Roman City in Shropshire, England, have unveiled an ancient mosaic dating back to the early second century.
The 2,000-year-old Roman mosaic depicts dolphins and fish on colorful white, red and blue tiles, according to a news release from English Heritage.
The ancient city was established in the 90s AD, according to the news release, and was once a thriving city the size of Pompeii. It’s believed that the city once held over 200 houses, a civic bath house, a marketplace and more.
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Though there are a very small number of buildings that remain today, there is still plenty to be discovered, as this recent find has shown. To date, much of the city remains unexcavated.
Excavations of the city were done in an effort among English Heritage, the University of Birmingham, Vianova Archaeology & Heritage Services and Albion Archaeology, according to the news release. Thirty archaeologists were involved in the excavations.
Excavations were originally started in order to locate a potential destination for the city’s Civic Temple, but much more was found than was expected.
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A large monumental building located close to the main road of the city was found, as well as a possible shrine, neither of which was a particularly surprising find.
The mosaic found was a “rare” discovery that archaeologists were “amazed” to uncover during excavations.
The artwork was created very shortly after the city was originally established, and “must have been commissioned by a wealthy and important person,” the news release noted.
Other artifacts that have been found at the site include coins and pottery fragments.
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