Press Release — Atheneum Museum Roman Mosaic Discovery

ATHENEUM MUSEUM

Press Release

A 1,800-Year-Old Mosaic, Unearthed Rediscovered beneath a city car park

Arts & Archaeology

Atheneum Museum Unveils an Intact Roman Mosaic Discovered Beneath a City Car Park

The 1,800-year-old floor, one of the best-preserved ever found in the region, goes on public display this autumn

CHESTER, England — July 8, 2026 — The Atheneum Museum today revealed a remarkably intact Roman mosaic floor uncovered during routine construction work beneath a downtown car park. Measuring roughly seven by five metres and dating to the late second century, the mosaic depicts a hunting scene bordered by intricate geometric patterns, its colors still vivid after nearly two millennia underground.

Archaeologists believe the floor belonged to the dining room of a wealthy Roman townhouse. Following a delicate year-long conservation effort, the mosaic will anchor a new permanent gallery opening to the public in October.

~180 ADEstimated date

35 m²Surface preserved

1.5MIndividual tesserae

14 moConservation work

“To stand on a floor that Roman families dined on eighteen centuries ago is to feel time collapse. What moves me most is not its age but its humanity — the artist’s small choices, the wear from everyday footsteps. History is not distant. It’s underfoot.”
— Dr. Helena Marsh, Head of Antiquities, Atheneum Museum

The Discovery

The mosaic came to light when contractors preparing foundations struck a patterned stone surface. Work halted immediately, and a team of archaeologists was called in. Over the following weeks, they carefully exposed the full floor, documenting every fragment before it was lifted in sections and transferred to the museum’s conservation lab.

Bringing It to the Public

The new gallery will present the mosaic alongside a reconstruction of the townhouse and interactive displays explaining how such floors were made. Admission to the gallery will be free for local residents and school groups, part of the museum’s commitment to keeping the city’s own heritage open to everyone.

“This treasure was hidden beneath the feet of people rushing to work every day. Now it belongs to the whole community. There is something wonderful about a city discovering a masterpiece it never knew it owned.”
— Councillor Priya Anand, Chester City Cultural Committee

Visiting

The gallery opens to the public on 3 October. Timed tickets and a schedule of curator-led talks will be available on the museum’s website beginning next month.

About the Atheneum Museum
The Atheneum Museum is a regional museum of art, history, and archaeology serving the north of England. Founded in 1887, it holds a collection of more than 120,000 objects and is dedicated to making the region’s cultural heritage accessible to all. Learn more at www.atheneummuseum.example.

Media Contact
Oliver Bennett, Press Officer
Atheneum Museum
press@atheneummuseum.example · +44 20 7946 0655

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