Archaeologists have discovered an extraordinary 65 cm tall and 55cm wide limestone Roman sculpture representing an eagle grasping a serpent in its beak.
The team of the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) were at first hesitant to announce their discovery and its Roman origins, owing to the fact that it is in an impeccable state of preservation. In the mean while specialists have now confirmed that it is from the 1st or 2nd century AD and also that the statue is one of the very best examples surviving from Roman Britain. Its symbolism is regarded as the struggle of good (the eagle) against evil (the serpent). It is believed the statue might have adorned a rich mausoleum as the theme was common in the funerary context.
The statue was dug up at a site in the City of London which is known once to have been home to a Roman cemetery.
It will be on display at the Museum of London for six months from 30 October 2013.
Londinium (Roman London) was founded in about AD 50 and soon became the centre of administration for the province of Britannia. The Romans built bridges over the river Thames and constructed the roads that connected Londinium with the rest of the country. The population of the city where London now stands was a mix of civilians, families, soldiers, sailors, workers and slaves. Many of them were from all parts of the Roman Empire, but the majority were native Britons. Roman London was abandoned in AD 410.