In the center of London stands the Shard, a unique, neo-futurist skyscraper. The structure’s a pinnacle of 21st-century design. It stands in sharp contrast, though, to what was recently discovered just down the road. No more than a few dozen yards away, archaeologists found something remarkable in the ground. They’d come across a structure of a very different sort — one that was anything but an artifact from the future. This thing was ancient.

By Tiernan Cannon

The oldest part

The archaeologists were only working in this particular spot because some construction works were scheduled to take place there. The thing is, though, this area’s said to be the oldest part of London. Building over the land there could mean some historical treasures are lost forever — so archaeologists had better take a look before works begin.

Colorful, intricate, and imaginative

The archaeologists in this case must’ve been taken aback by the sheer grandeur of what they ended up finding. Their discovery, after all, was colorful, intricate, and imaginative — and it was evidently of great historical importance, too. How’d this thing been lying under the nose of Londoners for so long without being detected?

A degree of awe

Antonietta Lerz works with the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), which was responsible for undertaking this dig. Along with her colleagues, Lerz is an expert who clearly knows her stuff. That’s why we should take her very seriously when she expresses a certain degree of awe in response to this find.

Once-in-a-lifetime

After she laid eyes on what’d been found underground, Lerz described it as a “once-in-a-lifetime” discovery. As an expert in her field, we can presume that she wouldn’t use such rhetoric if she didn’t mean it. This structure really was special — and it sheds light on a remarkable era in London’s history.

Long life

The City of London’s absolutely littered with archaeological wonders that hark back to centuries past. Countless digs have taken place there throughout the years, with a whole bunch of fascinating artifacts and structures being brought to the surface. The area’s had a long and interesting life, after all.

The Rose

An age-old discovery in London came in 1988, when archaeologists excavated the ruins of a theater. The Rose, as it was known, had been operational from 1587 to 1603, which was firmly within the lifetime of one particularly famous playwright. And as it turns out, this place did indeed perform works by William Shakespeare during the years it was open.

Enormous interest

The Rose was constructed to the south of the famous River Thames, as the third theater of Elizabethan London. Given its history, then, the building’s an enormous source of historical interest, which means it’s a very good thing that much of it survived through the centuries. During the site’s excavation, archaeologists uncovered plenty of details that shed a light on what performances would’ve felt like there.

The King’s Table

Over in Westminster, which is where you can find Britain’s parliament, another important discovery was made in 2006. During renovation works, something incredible was uncovered from underneath some stone steps. Pieces of the King’s Table were found, which is a big deal for anyone with an interest in English history.

A powerful symbol

But why is the King’s Table such a big deal? Well, there’s a clue in the name. Basically, a ruling monarch would sit at this table while overseeing the running of their kingdom. Food was served there, and above all else it was a powerful symbol of the king or queen’s authority.

The MI6 building

Another symbol of authority in London is the base of MI6, the British secret service. This imposing building’s been around for decades now, having originally opened up during the mid-1990s. In 2010, though, archaeologists unearthed something exciting just feet away. They found a structure — and it seems to be the oldest ever discovered in London.

Unusually old

This structure isn’t necessarily that impressive on its own terms. In reality, it’s pretty basic — made of wood. But when we dig into how old it is, we begin to see why the find was so exciting. It seems to be the remains of a building raised more than 6,000 years ago! Unearthing a building that old is really unusual in Britain.

Keeping secrets

True to the secrecy of MI6, this archaeological site was kept under wraps for a long time as works were carried out. It was only later, after many discoveries had been made, that the news was publicly disclosed. It was at that point we all got to learn that pottery and tools were also uncovered around the spot.

Ancient fort

Elsewhere, another archaeological site in central London was kept pretty hush-hush for a while. This one was over at the 30 Fenchurch Street office development, where a fort built by the ancient Romans was found. This thing had been raised around 63 A.D., in response to attacks on London — or Londinium, as the Romans would’ve known it.

Difficult to overcome

The fort was constructed in a rectangle, covering a space of more than three and a half acres. It was an impressive defensive structure, surrounded by trenches and strengthened with wood. For its time — which, lest we forget, was almost 2,000 years ago — it would’ve been difficult to overcome.

Telling a story

The very fact of the fort’s existence is telling of the state of London back in early Roman times. It was built right beside the primary route into the city, which means it was a dominant landmark. This may indicate that normal, civilian society at that time wasn’t really active. In other words, the area would’ve probably been pretty militarized.

Expert builders

Given the size of the fort, experts think roughly 500 people might’ve been stationed there. But even though it was big, it’s thought that the structure was actually put together pretty quickly — maybe in just a few weeks. This could be because it was built during a period of emergency.

Painting a picture

A lot of other stuff was found littered around the site, which helps us to get a better picture of what was going on there all that time ago. Tools such as hammers and pickaxes, for instance, tell us about the kinds of implements the Romans used in construction. Evidence of cooking and food storage facilities inform us about how food was prepared.

Artistic flourish

Of course, there was still more to Roman London than its military presence. Its people were great builders of forts, to be sure, but they were also capable of artistic flourishes, too. And this is abundantly clear to see in the latest archaeological discovery to come out of the city, at that site near the Shard skyscraper.

Grand and intricate

The sheer grandeur of what was discovered on this occasion has blown away the archaeological community. It is, after all, an incredible idea to think something this impressive has been sitting beneath London for so long. But there it was: a massive, incredibly intricate mosaic. It was the biggest one to be found in the city in more than 50 years.

The Liberty of Southwark

The only reason this mosaic was found in the first place is because of construction works that were taking place on the site. A new office complex is being raised, which will be called The Liberty of Southwark. But because the area’s so historically important, archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) investigated the spot before building got underway.

Local help

MOLA committed to exploring the site until the summer of 2021. The organization pledged to work in tandem with the local community to keep people updated about what was being discovered at the site. To that end, regular updates were posted online to show everyone what was going on.

Vibrant and colorful

Undoubtedly the most captivating update came in early 2022, after the archaeologists had uncovered the spectacular mosaic. Covered in depictions of flowers and intricate patterns, this work’s said to have come from the end of the 2nd century, or maybe the beginning of the 3rd. That makes its vibrant colors and shapes all the more impressive.