1,800-year-old Roman statue head discovered in parking lot

The unusual discovery occurred in the UK car park of Burghley House, a historic 16th-century estate in Stamford.

British construction worker Greg Crawley was driving an excavator at the site when he suddenly came across an unusual discovery - "a pale object in the ground."

As it turned out, the "marble head" is one of the elements of the monument to a Roman woman.

An unusual find in Great Britain turned out to be an 1,800-year-old statue of a Roman woman. Crawley's surprise was great when his excavator came across what initially looked like a large rock. In fact, it was a "marble head," part of a statue of a Roman woman.

"When I picked it up, I realised it was the head of a statue. I couldn't believe it when it turned out to be a Roman marble monument. It was an amazing feeling to find something so ancient and unique. This is definitely my best discovery ever," Crawley confessed in a conversation with the media.

"Marble head" dated to the 1st or 2nd century

According to the New York Post, the discovery took place in the spring of 2023, and just two weeks later, a bust of a marble statue was also found a short distance from the parking lot. Both parts were handed over to experts who cleaned and examined them. Ultimately, it was established that the elements of the statue come from the 1st or 2nd century.

How did the statue end up on the Burghley House estate? Officials believe that it was purchased during one of the counts' trip to Italy in the 18th century. What is most intriguing, however, is how the statue was buried outside the estate. "It remains a complete mystery how the head and bust came to be buried in the park," Burghley House officials say.

The discovery has been reported to the British Museum, but for now both pieces have been combined into their original form and placed on display at Burghley House.

This article was originally published on Onet Travel.