The Crossrail project, an underground railway tunnel, is designed to reduce traffic in London. But the project has also provided Britain’s capital city with a view into its 8,000-year-old history.

Jackie Keily is the curator of “The Archaeology of Crossrail” exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands. She says, “The great thing about the Crossrail project is that it’s allowed us to basically sort of take a slice through London.”

The underground project to connect Heathrow airport to the financial district has unearthed over 10,000 artifacts. One of the highlights, Keily says, is a bronze medallion dating from the year 245 AD. During this time, southern Britain was ruled by the Romans.