Posted on 01/06/2021 2:52:53 PM PST by BenLurkin
A seemingly dull marble slab, used for 10 years as a stepping stone in an English garden, is actually a rare ancient Roman engraving, a new analysis finds.
The discovery surprised its owner, who learned that the 25-inch-long (63 centimeters) slab — a stone she had previously used as a stair while mounting her horse — dated to the second century A.D. and was worth about $20,400 (£15,000).
However, no one knows how the marble masterpiece ended up in England. It was likely carved in Greece or Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), according to a statement from Woolley and Wallis, a U.K auction house that is handling the sale of the slab. Some of the stone's history is known: It was unearthed from a rock garden in Whiteparish, a village in southern England, about 20 years ago, according to Woolley and Wallis. Then, the woman who owns the stable used the mud-covered stone for a decade as a mounting block until, one day, she noticed a laurel wreath carved on its surface. An archaeologist who assessed the slab revealed that it was a rare find. Its inscription reads, "the people (and) the Young Men (honor) Demetrios (son) of Metrodoros (the son) of Leukios,"
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Watch out.
Her whole property will be considered an archeological area, and taken.
And she will be charged for any damage she has caused.
It’s not worth anything since she can’t keep it or sell it.
It won’t be her stepping stone.
Reminds me of that farmer who found out a barn doorstop he used for 30 years was actually a meteorite worth $100,000.
Check your stepping stones.
Reading isn’t your strong suit, is it?
The price estimate comes from the auction house that is selling it for her.
Nope - that isn’t how it works.
In this case, she is selling it via auction.
We were in Luxor last year. I had to stop at a cartouche that was Julius Ceasar.
I remember Antique Road Show had someone having a Old Kingdom bust found in their garden (that was long ago)
When I visited a small Hotel in Italy, the proprietor had found a marble antiquity.
It was partially exposed in his flowers, and he said if he reported it, he would have archeology/museum, etc. problems.
That’s what I was basing my comment on.
That and overreaching govt. in general.
Good that she can cash out.
Thanks, was reading about this last evening. Apparently this slab has had a lot of travels over the past few centuries at least.
Thanks BenLurkin.
Bureau of Antiquities and Taxes says that’s not YOUR stepping stone
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