Roman Small ‘Pseudo Venus’ Figurine Unearthed In England

MessageToEagle.com – A six inch tall figurine dating from the first or second century, known as a ‘pseudo Venus’, was dug up by volunteer archaeologists in a garden in Long Melford, Suffolk, England, according to an article in East Anglian Daily Times.

A rare statue could help unearth secrets of Long Melford’s Roman past. It could also point to the village being the “missing link” in a chain of forts from the Roman times.

According to a county council archaeologist, the statue would have had religious significance and is a very “unusual” find.

Local heritage centre volunteers John Broughton, Kenneth Dodd and John Nunn came across the statue while they were carrying out a rescue dig in a garden that was due to be landscaped.

“…We did some checking and discovered that fragments of similar statues had been found in Colchester, but nothing as whole as this one,” Mr Nunn said.

He added: “Several are recorded as being found along Hadrian’s Wall where there was a series of Roman military forts and although we have no definitive proof that’s the case in Long Melford, it would have been an appropriate site for a Roman fort.

Senior archaeological officer Fay Minter, who is based in Bury St Edmunds, said that  “in test pits of this size, volunteers would normally find animal bones, pottery or building material.”

“The Venus statue, which would have had religious significance, is missing her head and would have been standing on a pedestal but she is reasonably well intact.

“We know there’s a Roman town in Long Melford under the Medieval and modern village so this adds to the evidence we already have. To confirm that there was a Roman fort in Long Melford, we would have to make more early military finds such as armour or buckles.”

During the dig, the volunteers also found some pink Roman flooring known as ‘opus caementicum’, as well as Roman pottery.

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