A Roman statue, believed to be 1,800 years old, was recently unearthed from a parking lot at an estate in England and is set to go on display after nearly a year. The discovery was made by Greg Crawley, an excavator driver, during the construction of a new visitor parking lot for Burghley House in Stamford. The marble head of a Roman woman was found in the spring of 2023, followed by the discovery of a marble bust nearby two weeks later.
Crawley expressed his astonishment at finding the artifact, stating that he was initially shocked and couldn't believe the significance of his discovery. Describing it as his best ever find, he shared his excitement at uncovering something so old and special.
The British Museum was notified of the discovery, and experts believe that the sculpture may have been brought to the estate by the ninth Earl of Exeter during his tours of Italy in the 1760s, where he acquired many antiquities. The head and bust were promptly taken to Burghley's curator and later sent to a professional conservator for cleaning and reassembly.
An iron dowel was added to the statue to allow it to be attached to a bust or pedestal. The restored bust will be displayed at Burghley House's Hell Staircase, alongside other sculptures purchased by the ninth Earl, when the estate opens for its spring season on March 16.
The circumstances surrounding how the sculpture ended up buried in the parking lot remain a mystery, with speculations ranging from a failed burglary to the statue being discarded and later covered by soil. The estate representative emphasized the puzzling nature of the artifact's burial.
