Ancient statue unearthed during parking lot construction: "A complete mystery"

A mysterious Roman statue was discovered at an England construction site, according to a news release from a British historical site. 

The news release was shared by the Burghley Estate, a centuries-old country house in the English countryside. The home displays art, sculptures and more, and has been used in productions like "The Crown" and the 2005 adaptation of "Pride & Prejudice." 

The Roman statue is now displayed in "pride of place" at the stately home, according to the news release.

The statue depicts the marble head of an artistocratic Roman woman, according to the news release. Both the statue and a matching marble bust were found by an excavator operator during construction work on a parking lot on the estate. 

The excavator driver, identified in the news release as Greg Crawley, noticed a pale object that wound up being the head mixed among dirt that he had moved. 

"I had a real shock as the digger bucket rolled over what I thought was a big stone to reveal a face," Crawley said, according to the news release. "When I picked it up, I realised it was a head of a statue. I couldn't believe it when they told me it was a Roman marble statue. It was an amazing feeling to have found something so old and special – definitely my best-ever discovery." 

The bust was found nearby just a few weeks later. Both pieces had been completely buried. 

The pieces were examined by Burghley's Curator and then taken to a professional conservator who could clean and repair the figure. The find was also reported to the British Museum, which maintains a database of ancient treasures found in Great Britain. 

While the statue was dated to the first or second century, the news release said it's unclear how the priceless artifact came to end up in the construction site. 

"It remains a complete mystery how the head and bust ended up buried in the park," the estate said in the news release. 

It's possible that the Ninth Earl of Burghley purchased the item during a tour to Italy in the 1760s. The experts who examined the statue said that it contained an iron dowel, which would have allowed the head to be attached to the bust. This was a common practice among Italian dealers who were selling antiquities in the late 18th century, the news release said, and was done to make "ancient fragments more attractive to aristocrats travelling in Italy." However, knowing how the statue ended up on the estate doesn't explain how it ended up completely buried in the dirt. 

Another mystery is just how long the items were buried. According to the news release, there are theories that the statue could have been the target of a bungled robbery, or it might have just been discarded.  

The pieces will be displayed starting March 16, when the estate opens for the 2024 season, according to the news release. The display will also include other sculptures purchased by the Ninth Earl of Burghley. 

In:
• Rome
• Archaeologist
• Britain
• United Kingdom

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University's Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News' TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.

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