Archaeologists stunned at 2,000 year-old groundbreaking discovery underneath office

Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery at the site of a planned 32-story skyscraper in London as the city's first Roman basilica has been unearthed.

The 2,000-year-old building sits underneath the basement of an office building in the heart of the city's financial district that is due to be demolished and rebuilt.

Previous excavations at nearby sites had revealed traces of Roman London and parts of the base of the basilica, but researchers at the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) said "nothing could have prepared" them for what they unearthed.

In a breakthrough discovery, the team found "extraordinary" flint, brick, and ragstone walls and foundations, measuring up to 10 metres long, one metre wide and four metres deep, believed to be remnants of a Roman basilica which stood two-and-a-half storeys high.

"It was clear significant parts of the Basilica still lay beneath 85 Gracechurch Street!" the museum wrote. "What makes this discovery even more special is the fact we believe these foundations are within an area of the Basilica known as the Tribunal," it added, meaning major political economic decisions would likely have been made at this very site, shaping the city's past 2,000 years ago.

“This is one of the most significant discoveries made in the City in recent years. It's like discovering the Speaker’s Chair and chamber of the House of Commons, 2,000 years into the future," said Sophie Jackson, Director of Development at MOLA.

"The levels of preservation of the Basilica have far exceeded our expectations, and we have possibly the most important part of the building. Excitingly, we’ve only just scratched the surface of this site’s potential through our initial investigations."

The basilica was part of