The thrill of a making the discovery of a place lost for over a thousand years was felt by one man in Britain after uncovering the remains of one of the largest Roman villas in the country. The find occurred in Tisbury, Wiltshire, and happened while a construction crew was digging a path for electrical cable to light a tennis court. A mosaic floor was found which prompted additional digging by the Salisbury Museum and revealed the massive extant of the house as well as artifacts ranging from coins to the remains of oysters. The find has been called one of the most important finds from Roman Britain since the discovery of the great villa at Chedworth in the 19th century which revealed much about an era that was mostly lost to history. However, a lack of fund to conduct a full excavation, which would cost several hundred thousand Pounds, has lead to the site being reburied in order to protect it from the elements. Despite this setback, the community now knows of it’s existence so that future historians can better explore the site and the mysteries it conceals.
See Patrick Sawer, ‘Unparalleled’ discovery of Roman villa beneath Wiltshire garden, The Telegraph, April 17, 2016.
