There’s individuals who like puzzles after which there’s individuals who actually like puzzles. Right here’s hoping people on the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) are the latter, as that’s who’s tasked with the painstaking reconstruction of an enormous set up of Historical Roman frescoes unearthed in central London.
The hundreds of fragments come from an early Roman constructing believed to have been demolished earlier than 200 CE in present-day Southwark, the place excavation has been energetic since 2021 in preparation for the Liberty redevelopment, a mixed-use business and residential complicated. It has taken months of meticulous work to piece collectively some 20 partitions price of painted plaster described by MOLA because the “world’s most difficult jigsaw puzzle.”
A MOLA archaeologist uncovers the wall plaster throughout excavations at The Liberty web site.
The ornamental plaster was present in an historic disposal pit as a jumble of fragments whose historic significance may solely be ascertained as soon as they started to be reassembled. MOLA’s Senior Constructing Materials Specialist, Han Li, labored extensively to put out all of the items and begin to put them right into a semblance of order, permitting their numerous motifs — birds, fruits, flowers, lyres, and different particulars — to emerge.
“This has been a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment, so I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness when I started to lay the plaster out,” Han mentioned in an announcement. “The result was seeing wall paintings that even individuals of the late Roman period in London would not have seen.”
1000’s of fragments needed to be pieced collectively to reconstruct the main points of the frescoes.
The so-called “Liberty Wall” was doubtless final seen intact some 1800 years in the past and represents a substantial discovery. A few of the motifs employed within the ornamental parts of the murals point out a high-class dwelling for its time; others, such because the panels painted to mimic the costly stone materials porphyry, suggest that there was nonetheless some upward mobility to which the owners aspired. By way of indicating the Roman cultural funding in London, the murals are excellent examples for his or her time, reflecting the affect of surrounding areas on ornamental traits.
Lyre decorations on the Liberty wall plaster
MOLA cites distinctive parts among the many fragments, together with uncommon proof of a painter’s signature and the Latin phrase “fecit,” which interprets to “has made this,” although sadly, the identify itself stays obscure. There’s additionally extremely uncommon “graffiti” in historic Greek — the one recognized inscription of a virtually full Greek alphabet to be found inside Roman Britain — executed in a practiced hand that signifies a “proficient speaker,” in line with MOLA, fairly than easy writing apply.
“These discoveries act as a window to the everyday past,” Han mentioned.
