Experts call this a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ discovery that found Roman statues under a Norman church in Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire.
The three stone busts were found beneath the ruins and remains of the old St Mary’s Catholic church, which was destroyed in 1966 because it was considered unsafe.
Two of the figures are adults — a man and a woman, both of which have had their head split from their body — while the third is the head alone of a child.
These’remarkable finds’ were made during the final stages of the dig when the team was excavating a circular trench around what was believed to be an AngloSaxon tower.
The busts were not the only thing that archaeologists found. They also discovered a Roman-aged, hexagonal-shaped, extremely well preserved glass jug. Large pieces of it were still intact.
Other Roman-era finds included large roof tiles and painted wall plaster, as well as cremation urns.
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Experts believe that Roman statues were found under the Norman church in Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. Pictured: One statue
Two of the figures are adults — a man and a woman, both of which have had their head split from their body — while the third is the head alone of a child. Pictured: The man’s statue
‘For us to end the dig with these utterly astounding finds is beyond exciting,’ said Rachel Wood, the lead archaeologist for HS2’s Enabling Works Contractor, Fusion JV.
‘The statues are exceptionally well preserved, and you really get an impression of the people they depict — literally looking into the faces of the past is a unique experience,’ she continued.
‘Of course, it leads us to wonder what else might be buried beneath England’s medieval village churches.
“This site was truly unique and we look forward to learning more from the specialists about the amazing statues and the history before the Norman church was built.
Based on their excavations, however, the team have been able to make some determinations about the history of the site prior to the construction of the church.
The setting appears to have been a natural mound which was then built up further by the deliberate addition of soil — perhaps to form a Bronze Age burial site.
This then appears to have been dated by a Roman-era square building which the archaeologists think — based on the ornate but sparse nature of the materials they have found — was most likely a mausoleum.
Finally, the team suspect that the building may have been repurposed in the Saxon period (indicated by the discovery of Saxon pottery and a Saxon coin) before finally being demolished by the Normans when they built the St Mary’s Church on the site.
The walls and demolition rubble of the Roman building, the archaeologists noted, were found directly beneath the Norman church’s foundations — with no build up of soil in-between the two.
These’remarkable’ finds were made in the final stages, as the team was excavating a circular trench around what was believed to be an AngloSaxon tower.
According to the archaeologists, it is not uncommon to find Roman statues which have been disfigured in some form — as the three busts from the St Mary’s church site were decapitated. They explained that statues were often vandalized before being taken down.
The busts were not the only finds archaeologists made at the site. They also discovered a well-preserved, Roman-aged, hexagonal-shaped glass jug that was large pieces still intact. Other Roman-era finds include large roof tiles and painted wall plaster, as well as cremation urns.
These’remarkable finds’ were made in the final stages, when the team was digging a circular ditch around an Anglo-Saxon tower.
‘HS2’s unprecedented archaeology programme has given us new insights into Britain’s history, providing evidence of where and how our ancestors lived,’ said HS2 lead archaeologist Mike Court.
“These remarkable Roman statues are just one of the incredible artifacts that were discovered between London, West Midlands and London.
‘As HS2 builds for Britain’s future, we are uncovering and learning about the past, leaving a legacy of knowledge and discovery,’ he concluded.
The team has not yet determined the final destination for the Roman finds. However, the three busts are being shipped to a specialist laboratory so they can be examined and cleaned.
The team will also examine the creases of Roman statues for evidence of pigmentation, as they were often painted in bright colours.
Archaeologists from the HS2 railway discovered three stone busts under the ruins of the St Mary’s church. It was destroyed in 1966 because it was considered unsafe.