With support from the University of Richmond

New perspectives on how history is made

Roman paintings of goldfinch, purple grapes found under restaurant in City of London

LONDON -- A depiction of a goldfinch and luscious bunches of purple grapes painted 1,900 years ago for the home of a wealthy Roman have been discovered beneath an Italian restaurant in the City of London.

Experts have hailed the high-quality paintings, found beneath Lime Street in what was the most prestigious area of Roman London, as a sensational find and the most significant for two decades.

About a thousand fragments thought to date from around 120 AD have been recovered. Experts hope that the entire decorative scheme, believed to have been part of a building demolished after a fire, may eventually be reconstructed.
Read entire article at Times (of London)