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Tobacco_Bhaji t1_jcmldg5 wrote

Reply to comment by SpecialpOps in Olney: Roman villa mosaic found under Aldi supermarket site by Welshhoppo

Unless it's in the middle of nowhere, it usually gets preserved where it is. So they uncover as much as they can, record everything they can about it, then preserve it right there and build a layer over it such that it can safely be built upon.

If they didn't do this, there'd be nowhere to live. I live in Gloucester along a stream. It is absolutely guaranteed that if we were to dig around under my house, there'd be artefacts of some sort.

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SpecialpOps t1_jcmr19i wrote

That makes a lot of sense, thank you for taking the time to explain a bit about it. When I was younger, and my parents moved into what became their permanent home, it was on grounds that American Civil War was fought on.

People would dig for your gardens and find Civil War bullets and other artifacts that had just been strewn about the woods the neighborhood was built in.

I am a big fan of preserving the past, so it’s great that those sites are going to exist as they were left by previous cultures.

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fonefreek t1_jcoggco wrote

Was it haunted?

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SpecialpOps t1_jcohh6f wrote

That would have been really cool if there where interesting things happening but it was just a regular, old house.

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WhoIsMauriceBishop t1_jcomc02 wrote

Couldn't help but notice you didn't exactly answer the question...

Why are you hoarding the ghosts?

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SpecialpOps t1_jcoo14x wrote

Nothing to see here. Just move along…

(continues to play backgammon and drink bourbon with Civil War ghosts)

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SeenSoFar t1_jcr5lpp wrote

What does a drunken ghost fight look like?

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_PM_Me_Game_Keys_ t1_jcmpx2g wrote

Are artifacts not of much monetary value because there are so many? Like why not dig around or just not worth the effort.

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Tobacco_Bhaji t1_jcmqoqk wrote

If you find something like this, it belongs to the state. You only get compensated on a strict schedule. The monetary value might very well be high, but there's nobody to sell it to other than the state ... who can only give you a fixed rate.

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AnArgonianSpellsword t1_jcogm2s wrote

Well it depends on a lot of factors. For roman mosaics they were an expression of wealth, with wealthier individuals having both more of them and better quality ones. It's estimated that about 2000 were made in just the UK, of which 150 have been found. They're also difficult to move, as it's an entire concrete floor with the tiny coloured tiles stuck into it.

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