Museum of London conservator Liz Goodman (above) has resurrected the rare Roman millefiore bowl. Picture © Museum of London
An "extremely rare" dish found alongside the body of a Roman Londoner has gone on display at the Museum of London Docklands following painstaking restoration efforts.
The polychrome vessel, comprising hundreds of indented glass petals, was held together by the earth around it at Prescot Street cemetery in Aldgate, and has been reassembled by Museum of London Archaeology conservator Liz Goodman.
The millefiore dish will be on show at the Museum of London Docklands. Picture © Museum of London
"The opportunity to work on a whole artefact of this nature is extraordinary," said Goodman, who believes the find dates from the first or early second centuries, when similar examples of intricate craftsmanship were in vogue.
"The dish is extremely fragile but the glasswork is intact and illuminates beautifully nearly two millennia after being crafted."
Fragments of similar bowls are relatively common finds, but the completeness of this vessel is unprecedented. Picture © Museum of London
L-P Archaeology uncovered the "unprecedented" discovery during excavations exploring the Eastern cemetery of Roman London, where cremations and burials spanning more than 400 years of ancient occupation have already been unearthed.
Goodman said the project was 'extraordinary.' Picture © Guy Hunt
Other ceramic and glass vessels in the casket hint at a rich and unusual burial for their owner, lying near a stone mausoleum, series of burial groups and possible funerary structure.
The burial site in Aldgate has produced numerous tantalising glimpses of Roman life in the area. Picture © Museum of London
"The dig at Prescot Street produced an amazing range of Roman cemetery archaeology," reported L-P Archaeology Director Guy Hunt.
"It is fantastic for us that one of the many finds is such an exciting and beautiful object. It is great to be able to put an object such as this into context and to get a first hand impression of a rather wealthy East Londoner."
