Man Accidentally Discovers Huge Roman Villa Complex With Striking Mosaic Beneath Soil on Father's Farm

A man from the U.K. had no idea that his father's farm was home to a precious Roman mosaic, till he took a stroll on the property in 2020. Jim Irvine was walking through his father's farm in the county of Rutland when he observed something that he felt was out-of-place, Live Science reported.

Later the out-of-place thing turned out to be a Roman-era mosaic which was part of an elaborate villa complex possibly built between the 3rd and 4th Century A.D. This revelation was made by officials who excavated the area after Irvine's finding.

Irvine was walking through the farm during the first COVID lockdown, Business Insider reported. "I noticed these bits of pottery, oyster shells, and what I now know to be orange Roman roof tiles," Irvine shared about his discovery. "I knew that they had no business being there, so when I got home, I had a look at the field on Google Earth and noticed a crop mark we'd never noticed before." He got interested in finding out what was underneath the specific spot and began digging.

The first thing that he located was a mosaic piece featuring the red hat of King Priam, a character in Homer's Iliad, Business Insider reported. He was stunned by the development.

"Because of the crop mark, I knew there would be something to find. I never expected in a million years to come across a mosaic, especially one as special as this," Irvine shared. He quickly alerted the local officials regarding the finding.

Archeologists from the University of Leicester collaborated with Historic England and Rutland County Council to excavate the farm, Business Insider reported. They discovered that the mosaic piece was a small part of an expansive villa complex that contained numerous other buildings.

Researchers further added that the mosaic piece was a fragment of the 828-square-feet artwork that possibly adorned a large dining or entertaining area in the villa, Business Insider reported. The artwork focused on the story of the Greek hero Achilles, with the piece depicting his interaction with Priam.

Scholars associated with the project deemed the find as unique because mosaics in Roman buildings generally did not cover scenes associated with Achilles and his battle with Hector in the Trojan War, Business Insider reported.

"This is certainly the most exciting Roman mosaic discovery in the U.K. in the last century," John Thomas, deputy director of the University of Leicester Archaeological Services and project manager on the excavations, said. "It gives us fresh perspectives on the attitudes of people at the time, their links to classical literature, and it also tells us an enormous amount about the individual who commissioned this piece."