Archaeologists from MOLA (Museum of London Archeology) have discovered an incredibly well-preserved mosaic that once decorated the floor of a Roman dining room. Discovered a stone's throw from The Shard, experts have established this to be the largest Roman mosaic area found in London in over 50 years.
The dining room may have been part of a Roman mansio, an exclusive post office that provided accommodation, stables and catering facilities for state couriers and officials traveling to and from London.
Given the size of the dining room. dining room and its lavish decoration, it is believed that only high-ranking officers and their guests would have enjoyed this space. The complete footprint of the building is still being discovered, but current findings suggest that it was a very large complex, with multiple rooms and corridors surrounding a central courtyard.
It was ideally located on the outskirts of Londinium, Roman London, an area centered on the north bank of the Thames and more or less corresponding to the modern City of London.
The complex was built at the crossing of the river that led to the city and not far from the main road that connected London to other important centers of south-eastern Britain, including Canterbury and the port of Dover, which crossed the canal. As such, it provided excellent transport links for visiting dignitaries.