{"id":101201,"date":"2021-10-29T10:50:59","date_gmt":"2021-10-29T09:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=101201"},"modified":"2021-10-29T10:50:59","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T09:50:59","slug":"hs2-dig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/hs2-dig\/101201\/","title":{"rendered":"HS2 dig uncovers rare Roman statues at Stoke Mandeville"},"content":{"rendered":"

HS2<\/a> archaeologists have unearthed a \u2018once-in-a-lifetime\u2019 discovery of rare Roman statues under a medieval church in Stoke Mandeville<\/h2>\n

In the final stages of the excavation<\/a>, HS2 archaeologists were uncovering a circular ditch around what was thought to be the foundations of an Anglo-Saxon tower.<\/p>\n

As they dug down, they uncovered three stylistically Roman stone busts. Two of the busts comprise of a head and torso which had been split before deposition, and the other just the head.<\/p>\n

The two complete statues appear to be one female adult and one male adult, with an additional head of a child.<\/p>\n

\u2018Uniquely remarkable\u2019<\/h3>\n

The work has been carried out by HS2\u2019s enabling works contractor, Fusion JV<\/a>, and their archaeological contactor, L-P Archaeology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alongside the statues, an incredibly well-preserved hexagonal glass Roman jug was also discovered.<\/p>\n

Despite being in the ground for what is thought to be over 1,000 years, the glass jug had large pieces still intact, with on-site archaeologists<\/a> able to remove what they believe to be almost all the fragments.<\/p>\n

The team can only find one comparison for this, a completely intact vessel which is currently on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art,<\/a> New York. Other finds include large roof tiles, painted wall plaster, and Roman cremation urns.<\/p>\n