This ancient Roman slab of marble, inscribed in Greek, was found in a Whiteparish, England home garden (image below). Nobody knows how it got there. Now it's up for auction with a pre-sale estimate of £15,000, and the auctioneers at Woolley and Wallis are seeking help to solve the mystery of the stone's provenance. From CNN:
(The homeowner) used it as a mounting block in her stable for almost 10 years before finally noticing a laurel wreath carved into its surface, according to a press release from auction house Woolley and Wallis, which is selling the rock.
Will Hobbs, an antiquities specialist at Woolley and Wallis, said artifacts such as the rock often arrived in England in the 18th and 19th centuries when wealthy aristocrats would tour Europe learning about classical art and culture.
"We assume that is how it entered the UK, but what is a complete mystery is how it ended up in a domestic garden, and that's where we'd like the public's help," Hobbs said in a statement[…]
Its inscription reads: "The people (and) the Young Men (honor) Demetrios (son) of Metrodoros (the son) of Leukios."
images: Woolley and Wallis
