Huge ancient Roman wall paintings pieced together

Archaeologists have put together thousands of pieces of wall plaster to reveal paintings that once decorated a luxurious Roman villa in London.

They include illustrations of flowers, birds, fruit and musical instruments.

Experts believe that the paintings date back to the first or second century.

The fragments were first discovered four years ago, but it's taken researchers until now to sort through all the pieces.

What did experts find?

The frescoes are believed to be from at least 20 walls of the building

The painted pieces of plaster - also known as frescoes - were found in Southwark in central London, situated on banks of the River Thames in 2021.

Experts from the Museum of London Archaeology (Mola) say the frescoes are from at least 20 walls of a large building.

They also think that the grand building may have been home to a wealthy family or a hotel for rich travellers passing through London.

Han Li, from Mola, spent many months with the pieces of plaster, carefully examining each piece to put together what he describes as "the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle".

"It's one of the biggest - if not the biggest - assemblages of Roman wall plaster and paintings we've ever found in Roman London," he explained.

The plaster has local plants such as mistletoe painted on it

Mr Li added that the fragile nature of the ancient fragments made this even more of a challenge.

"You have to be very careful because you can only assemble the pieces a small number of times before the plaster starts to be damaged and it flakes off.

"So you have to be quite sure before you join the pieces that this is the piece that may fit," he added.

The Romans founded London in 43AD, and archaeologists believe that the villa was built soon after, when the new city was growing rapidly.