While preparing for demolition of one office building and construction of another right in the heart of London, workers just uncovered remains of the city's original Roman basilica.
Museum of London ArchaeologyThe basilica was found underneath the office building at 85 Gracechurch Street, which will soon be demolished.
With an eye toward the future, developers in London are planning to turn an old office building into a 32-story skyscraper. But archaeologists who’d been called to check out the site beforehand ended up making a stunning discovery about London’s distant past. As they conducted a survey of the office building, they found a section of London’s first Roman basilica hidden right beneath it.
Built between 78 and 84 C.E., this basilica once served as the heart of the ancient Roman city Londinium. Having now come to light for the first time in nearly 2,000 years, these stunning ruins are a powerful reminder of London’s Roman past.
The Historic Discovery Of London’s Original Roman Basilica
Museum of London ArchaeologyLooking down at the remains of the 2,000-year-old Roman basilica, which was unearthed during an archaeological survey beneath an old office building.
The Roman basilica was found during an archaeological survey led by the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA). While examining an old office building at 85 Gracechurch Street — set to be demolished and replaced with a 32-story office tower — archaeologists were intrigued when they detected the remains of another structure beneath the building’s basement.
As they excavated the floor, the archaeologists came across the bones of an ancient building. Made of flint, brick, and limestone walls and foundations, it stretched three feet wide and 13 feet deep.
It was, they soon realized, the remains of a 2,000-year-old ancient Roman basilica, the very first to be constructed in London’s history.
Museum of London ArchaeologyBricks of the Roman basilica, which was constructed, in part, with limestone from Kent.
Specifically, the archaeologists had uncovered the remains of the basilica’s base, a two-story stone wall encircling an impressive building that was once almost as big as an Olympic-size swimming pool.
However, this discovery didn’t come as a complete surprise, as archaeologists had known roughly where the ancient basilica was located. According to Historic U.K. and the Washington Post, traces of the ancient structure have been found over the past century and a half. However, archaeologists weren’t sure how much of the building could have survived after 2,000 years.
The Basilica’s Essential Role In Roman Londinium
The basilica was built just a few decades after the ancient Romans invaded Britain in 43 C.E., and it quickly came to play an important role in the city the Romans called “Londinium.”
Peter MarsdenA sketch of what the Roman basilica looked like some 2,000 years ago.
Part of the city’s ancient forum, the basilica was once the beating heart of the fledgling Roman city. Set at the entrance of an open-air market, it would have drawn in ancient people who wanted to shop, those going to court, and people who simply wanted to mingle with others.
Within the basilica, government leaders would have convened to make important decisions about Londinium — and Britain at large — possibly at the very spot uncovered by the archaeologists, which appears to be the “tribunal.” This raised stage would have provided a platform for officials and politicians to meet and make decisions about Londinium.
Leicester Museums and GalleriesThe basilica found in London likely resembled this artist’s rendering of a Roman forum which was uncovered in Leicester.
However, the basilica found by MOLA archaeologists was not used for very long. Archaeologists believe that the ancient Romans used the building and the surrounding forum for only about 20 years before constructing a much larger second forum, possibly a sign of how quickly the ancient city was growing.
In the end, it’s just the latest trace of Roman Britain to be found in London. In recent years, archaeologists have also uncovered a sprawling mosaic in the shadow of the Shard building, and a fully intact Roman funerary bed.
Artifacts like these are priceless pieces of London’s ancient history and, as such, developers are eager to preserve the remains of the Roman basilica and incorporate it into their plans for the new building at 85 Gracechurch. According to renderings of their plan, the building will be constructed so that people can look down at the basilica — and straight into London’s Roman past.
After reading about the Roman basilica found beneath an office building in London, untangle the curious question of why Rome fell after centuries of power and conquest. Then, discover the stories of some of the worst Roman emperors to ever hold the throne, from the hated Nero who “fiddled” while Rome burned to the bloodthirsty Caracalla who killed his own brother.
