Valuable rock garden find yields Roman mystery
Aweighty lump of stone originally used to decorate a rock garden, then pressed into service as a horse mounting block, has been revealed to be a 2nd century Roman artefact.
The owner, from a village near Salisbury, Wiltshire, noticed the surface of the marble slab had a laurel wreath and inscription carved into its surface. An archaeologist then confirmed it dated from 200AD, with probable origins in Greece or Asia Minor.
“Artefacts of this type often came into England as the result of Grand Tours in the late 18th and 19th century, when wealthy aristocrats would tour Europe learning about Classical art and culture,” explained Will Hobbs from Wiltshire auctioneers Woolley and Wallis. “We assume that is how it entered the UK, but what is a complete mystery is how it ended up in a domestic garden, and that’s where we’d like the public’s help.”
The auctioneers are hoping someone who lived in the area, or who worked on the construction in the 1960s, might recall the origins of some of the rubble used. The find has been put up for auction with a pre-sale estimate of £10-15,000.