Now, the collaboration to safely excavate the mausoleum and mosaic has concluded, although work to further understand and more accurately date the find continues. These contained personal effects such as copper bracelets, glass beads, coins, pottery, and even a bone comb. The monument was not found in isolation, as over 80 Roman period burials were uncovered in the surrounding area. A Roman mosaic in a Roman mausoleum is seen below the City of London skyline. Or the mausoleum might simply have been a family tomb. It could have belonged to a burial club, whose members paid a monthly fee to be buried inside. The mausoleum would have been used by wealthier members of Roman society. “It provides a fascinating window into the living conditions and lifestyle in this part of the city in the Roman period.” “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,” senior archaeologist at MOLA Antonietta Lerz said in a statement. Researchers involved in the excavation project remarked that the discovery bespeaks of changing times through different periods of the Roman Empire. (© MOLA) A digital reconstruction showing what the Roman mausoleum and mosaic might have looked like in their day. (© MOLA) Archeologists work on a Roman mausoleum that was uncovered just a stone’s throw from London Bridge station. The mausoleum has been hailed by MOLA as “the most intact Roman mausoleum ever to be discovered in Britain.” A second mosaic was found beneath the overlaying one in what once was a Roman mausoleum. These platforms consist of tiles bonded with a hard-wearing, waterproof pink mortar known as opus signinum.Īlthough no coffins or human remains were found, archaeologists did locate 100 coins along with some scrap pieces of metal, fragments of pottery, and roofing tiles. This is where the dead were once kept although no remains were present in the discovery. Running alongside the mosaics are raised platforms parallel to the walls arranged around three sides of the structure. (© MOLA) Researchers examine a raised Roman mosaic that was part of mausoleum at The Liberty of Southwark development site. (© MOLA) A Roman mausoleum at The Liberty of Southwark development site near London Bridge station. ![]() ![]() Researchers work on what once was a Roman mausoleum at The Liberty of Southwark development site. Both bear similar designs: a central flower with surrounding concentric circles and paved tile perimeter. At its center is a raised mosaic floor, beneath which a second mosaic was found. The researchers traced the walls of the mausoleum-a type of monumental tomb-which were likely partially dismantled for reuse in the medieval period. The lowest steps of the entrance also survived. It will be retained in the new development for public enjoyment. Just a stone’s throw from London Bridge subway station at The Liberty of Southwark development site, a rare Roman mausoleum and mosaic floor in February 2022 was discovered, described by experts as “completely unique.”Īrchaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) worked alongside Landsec and Transport for London to uncover the historic find for preservation.
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