A press release issued in July detailed the discovery of a Roman villa with “mysterious” features in the English countryside.

Built in the 2nd century AD, the vast villa is around 70 metres (230 feet) long and is the second to be discovered in the East Midlands in the past three years. according to According to a University of Leicester press release, the house was discovered by the school's archaeology students and teachers, who told Newsweek that the two-storey building has “some rather mysterious” stone features.

“When it was first discovered we suspected it might have been a Roman well, but excavation has revealed it to be a relatively shallow rectangular well lined with stone and brick. Students excavated it but found nothing there, so its function is a bit of a mystery,” Philippa Walton, lecturer in Roman archaeology at the university, said.

NEWS | University of Leicester archaeology students unearth huge Roman house in countryside

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— University of Leicester (@uniofleicester) July 10, 2024

Along with the walls, the students found brightly colored stucco and mosaic tiles, suggesting the home was designed in a Roman style, and animal bones suggest that agriculture was practiced at the site. (Related article: Amateur archaeologist discovers 'toilet spoon' in Wales)

A geological survey of the site was carried out in collaboration with a crew from the popular British reality TV show “Time Team,” which follows archaeological excavations. The data revealed that, along with the villa, there are several ditches surrounding the site. Some of the ditches may have been used as boundary lines, while others may date back to a prehistoric settlement.

To find out more, we need to dig deeper.