Published 19:48 IST, January 6th 2021
UK: Marble slab in woman's garden turns out to be ancient Greek artefact
Amidst enigmatic monoliths creating buzz, a British woman was left stunned after discovering that she possessed an ancient Greek artefact.
- World News
- 2 min read
Amidst enigmatic monoliths creating a buzz, British woman was left stunned after discovering that she possessed an ancient artefact throughout the past decade. The intricate marble slab was being used by the unidentified woman as a horse mounting block until it was found that it belongs to second century AD. A picture of the ancient slab has now created a stir on the internet and shows it ornate with Greek inscriptions.
Cred: woolleyandwallis
According to reports, the slab was found 20 years ago by the owner of the house in Whiteparish, a village in southern England, who found it in the rockery of her garden. The woman used it in her horse stable for almost a decade until one day she found laurel wreath carved into its surface. It was then that she took to it an archaelogist.
To be auctioned in Feb
The ornate marble is now set to be auctioned in February by Woolley and Wallis, with a pre-sale estimate of up to £15,000 ($20,300). Elaborating further on the discovery, Will Hobbs, an antiquities specialist at Woolley and Wallis, said artefacts such as the rock often arrived in England in the 18th and 19th centuries when wealthy aristocrats would tour Europe learning about classical art and culture. “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,” he added.
“There are several possibilities of where the stone might have originated. Both Cowesfield House and Broxmore House were very close to Whiteparish and were demolished in 1949 after having been requisitioned by the army during the war. But we also know that the house at what is now Paulton’s Park was destroyed by fire in 1963 and so possibly rubble from there was reused at building sites in the area shortly afterwards," Hobbs stated.
Updated 19:48 IST, January 6th 2021
