Archaeologists working on the HS2 project have made a 'once-in-a-lifetime' discovery of ancient Roman statues dating back 2,000 years.
They found three stone busts depicting a male, female and child while excavating a Norman Church in Buckinghamshire.
A top archaeologist described the find as "utterly astounding" and said the statues were "extremely well preserved".
Dr Rachel Wood, lead archaeologist for HS2 contractor Fusion JV said: "This has truly been a once in a lifetime site and we are all looking forward to hearing what more the specialists can tell us about these incredible statues and the history of the site before the construction of the Norman church.”
In addition to the statues, archaeologists also discovered a well-preserved hexagonal glass Roman jug.
Despite being in the ground for what is thought to be over 1,000 years, the glass jug had large pieces still intact.
It has not yet been decided where the Roman artefacts will be kept in the future.
They will now be taken to a specialist laboratory to be cleaned and examined.
Roman statues were typically painted bright colours, so evidence of pigmentation in the creases of the statue will be examined.
Mike Court, lead archaeologist at HS2 said: “HS2’s unprecedented archaeology programme has given us new insights into Britain’s history, providing evidence of where and how our ancestors lived.
"These extraordinary Roman statues are just some of the incredible artefacts uncovered between London and the West Midlands.
"As HS2 builds for Britain’s future, we are uncovering and learning about the past, leaving a legacy of knowledge and discovery.”
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