Ruins of Roman villa lay buried under English countryside for centuries — until now

The ruins of a sprawling Roman villa were recently unearthed in the English countryside, offering a glimpse into the lavish existences carved out on the edge of the ancient empire.

The dilapidated stone structure was found buried under a field in Leicestershire, located about 115 miles northwest of London.

Students from the University of Leicestershire excavated the site, which had been known to contain archaeological remains, during a two-week period in May, according to a July 10 news release from the university.

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They discovered that the villa structure was massive, spanning some 230 feet long.

“Although most of the floor surfaces had been robbed out, it was amazing to see the large granite stone blocks which formed some of the wall foundations,” John Gater, who helped fund the excavation, said in the release.

It was “a really quite substantial country house,” Jeremy Taylor, a lecturer at the university, said in a video accompanying the release.

A variety of artifacts were located inside or nearby the villa ruins, including mosaic tiles and pieces of vibrantly colored wall plaster.

These small findings indicated “that the inhabitants decorated their rooms following the latest Roman fashions,” researchers said.

Fragments of Samian pottery — a type of red-colored, finely decorated clayware — littered the site, further providing evidence that it was a “fancy” estate.

They also discovered a large quantity of animal bones, suggesting the site was used for an agricultural purpose.

The villa was dated to the second century, making it around 1,800 years old, researchers said.

The Romans occupied much of Britain during this period, building thousands of miles of roads and Hadrian’s Wall , according to Historic U.K.

They also constructed numerous country villas, which “bore many signs of ostentatious luxury ,” including multiple baths and expensive mosaics, according to English Heritage.

A film of the excavation will be released later this year, researchers said.

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