Archaeologists working for HS2 have found some incredibly rare artefacts, dating back to the Roman times.
It was found in part of the excavation of the site of St Marys church, being made way for the high speed rail line.
The historic pieces, made from both stone and glass were uncovered at what is thought to be the site of a Roman mausoleum under the Medieval Church in Stoke Mandeville.
Two stone busts comprise of a head and torso which had been split before deposition, and the other just the head. The two complete statues appear to be one female adult and one male adult, with an additional head of a child.
The discovery of these amazing artefacts caused excitement amongst the team working on the site who described it as “uniquely remarkable for us as archaeologists”
In addition to the statues, an incredibly well-preserved hexagonal glass Roman jug was also discovered. Despite being in the ground for what is thought to be over 1,000 years, the glass jug had large pieces still intact.
The artefacts will now be taken to a specialist laboratory where they will be cleaned and examined. Roman statues were typically painted bright colours, so evidence of pigmentation in the creases of the statue will be examined. The final destination for the Roman finds will be determined in due course.
Photographs of the rare remains can be found here:
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