Bowl may offer Roman Britain clues

LONDON, April 30 (UPI) -- A bowl thought to be 1,700 years old has been discovered in London and may hold clues to life in ancient Roman Britain, researchers say.

Liz Goodman, archaeology conservator at the Museum of London, said the bowl called millefiori, which means "one thousand flowers," may represent the first of its kind to be discovered in what was once the western Roman Empire, The Daily Mail reported Wednesday.

"We occasionally get tiny fragments of millefiori, but the opportunity to work on a whole artifact of this nature is extraordinary," Goodman said.

"The dish is extremely fragile but the glasswork is intact and illuminates beautifully nearly two millennia after being crafted."

Guy Hunt, director of the L-P: Archaeology firm, told the Daily Mail the discovery in a London cemetery grave should offer valuable insights into both British and Roman history.

"The dig at Prescot Street produced an amazing range of Roman cemetery archaeology," Hunt said.

"It is great to be able to put an object such as this into context and to get a first-hand impression of a rather wealthy East Londoner."