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Mysterious 1,800-Year-Old Roman Statue Unearthed During Car Park Construction Work. A Roman statue thought to date back 1,800 years has been discovered on a building site. Digger driver Greg Crawley was working at Burghley House, near Stamford, England when he noticed a face on an item he thought was a rock. He had uncovered a marble head, which experts have dated to the First or Second Century. Two weeks later the marble bust the head used to be attached to was found. Burghley House believes the statue may have been bought by the ninth Earl of Exeter, who travelled to Italy twice in the 1760s, bringing back many antiquities for the house. The house said it remained "a mystery" as to how the bust and marble head became buried. It has not been possible to date how long the statue was buried. A specialist conservator reassembled the statue, which will be on display, alongside an explanation about its discovery, from 16 March at the house. The find has also been reported to the British Museum.