Rutland Roman villa: how we found one of the most significant mosaics discovered in the UK

Archaeology students and ULAS staff from University of Leicester carefully clean the fully exposed Trojan War mosaic. © ULAS, Author provided

The discovery of a previously unknown Roman villa in rural Rutland during the 2020 lockdown was one of the archaeological stories of the year.

Villas are emblematic features of the Roman countryside, and many are known across Britain. But this new discovery is unique. It has what could be considered the most significant Roman mosaic discovery in the past century at its heart.