This ancient Roman marble slab was found in a home garden in Whiteparish, England (pictured below). No one knows how it got there. Now it’s up for auction with an estimated £ 15,000 before the sale, and Woolley and Wales auctioneers are seeking help to solve the mystery of the stone’s origins. From CNN:
(The homeowner) used it as a mounting block in her stable for nearly ten years before finally noticing that a laurel wreath had been carved into the surface, according to a press release from auction house Woolley and Wales, which sells the rock.
Will Hobbs, an antiquities specialist at Woolley and Wales, said that artifacts such as the rock in the 18th and 19th centuries often arrived in England when wealthy aristocrats would tour Europe and learn about classical art and culture.
“We assume it entered the UK, but a complete mystery is how it ended up in a home garden, and this is where we want the public’s help,” Hobbs said in a statement.[…]
Its title reads: “The people (and) the young men (honor) Demetrios (son) of Metrodoros (the son) of Leukios.”
images: Woolley and Wales