Couple unearths 'highly revered' Ancient Roman rarity during volunteer dig at tourist site

Participants in the past few days unearthed an ancient depiction of a Roman goddess while digging near a historic British landmark The sandstone carving was determined at Vindolanda a fort in Northumberland near Hadrian's Wall In a May press release the Vindolanda Trust identified the depiction as Victoria the goddess of mastery in Roman mythology The artifact was uncovered by Jim and Dilys Quinlan a couple from Merseyside who have volunteered in countless excavations over the past two decades The pair exposed the artifact in a pile of rubble near former infantry barracks ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH STRANGE HEAD DEPICTING ROMAN GOD BENEATH CATHOLIC BASILICAPictures show the proud contributors grinning next to their discovery in the rubble pile The organization disclosed Victoria was the counterpart of the Greek goddess Nike and was worshiped in Ancient Rome Victoria was highly revered by the Ancient Romans During times of war she was often credited for battlefield success the report read Hadrian's Wall was built under the Ancient Romans who successfully invaded Britain in A D under Emperor Claudius Previous attempts by Julius Caesar failed and the Romans were able to establish long-lasting British settlements in the first century A D Under Emperor Hadrian Hadrian's Wall began construction in A D to protect the northern demarcation of the province of Brittania from the Picts who lived in southern Scotland The barracks were built in A D which was a tumultuous time due to the Severan wars ending shortly earlier according to the Vindolanda Trust ANCIENT ROMAN HELMET TURNS UP IN REMARKABLE LOCATION 'EXCEPTIONALLY RARE' The barracks were once adorned with a large ornamental arch and gate precisely the location where an inscription may have been present the comment noted The relief of Preeminence is poignant representing the end of the war and the establishment of the fort at the site Experts believe that the in the past few days discovered stone was part of a significantly larger work and may have been painted in vibrant colors For more Lifestyle articles visit foxnews com lifestyle It is highly likely that this stone would have originally been brightly painted Vindolanda Trust curator Barbara Birley observed She added We will be working with our specialists to see if any traces of the pigment remain so for now the relief is being stored unwashed ready for that further analysis In a declaration Vindolanda Trust director of excavations Andrew Birley stated that similar finds from Roman Britain are increasingly rare these days T he beautifully carved figure vividly reminds us that Roman forts were not completely utilitarian they had grandeur and of lesson the symbolism was a vital part of the civilization here for the soldiers almost years ago the expert noted CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERBirley added I am also delighted for Jim and Dilys for their discovery It is just reward for their years of hard work and dedication to this site The piece is set to go on display at the Vindolanda museum next year Due to the vast amount of influence the Ancient Romans had in the British Isles Roman-era discoveries are not unheard of to be sure An archaeologist lately exposed an atypical eight-sided Ancient Roman ring in a former drainage ditch in Lincolnshire CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPA sparse months earlier a Roman grave filled with gypsum was exposed during a highway construction project in England