Post by UKarchaeology on Nov 17, 2015 2:41:36 GMT
Two pieces of a marble Roman sign have been reunited after being discovered more than 100 years apart.
The relic was destroyed 2,000 years ago in a settlement known as Calleva in Silchester that is being excavated by University of Reading archaeologists.
A fragment, inscribed with the letters "AT", was found in 1891. A corresponding piece, with says "BA", was found 10m (33ft) away in 2013.
They partly form "Atrebates", the name of a French tribe.
Its people are thought to have founded the settlement, now the site of an archaeological dig in modern-day Hampshire.
'Link to Nero'
Prof Mike Fulford, from the university's archaeology department, said: "Archaeology never ceases to amaze.
"Matching pieces which were discovered over 100 years apart to a 2,000 year old object is incredibly rare.
"The 2013 piece is special in its own right - evidence of very early destruction of a monumental building in the mid or mid-to-late 1st Century AD in Britain is exceptional - but little did we know about what was about to come to light.
"We now know what the bottom line of the sign reads - however the top line remains a mystery.
"It's a tantalising thought that this might link to Nero himself who is known to have commissioned major building projects in Silchester."
Full story: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34799148