View of excavations at Bloomberg Place, which is currently the largest commercially funded development project in the world. The site embraces the longest stretch of the Roman Walbrook left in the City.
(CNN) -- Phallic good luck charms, wooden buildings, an amber gladiator amulet, even documents -- all these are among a huge trove of Roman artifacts preserved by a lost river in London's financial district, archaeologists said Wednesday.
The find has given an extraordinary glimpse into the bustling everyday life of Londinium, as the Roman city was known, the Museum of London Archaeology said.
In the course of six months, the team has removed 3,500 metric tons of soil by hand and revealed some 10,000 finds covering the entire period of the Roman occupation of Britain, from around 40 AD to the early 5th century.
Among them are leather objects and wooden walls standing to shoulder height, as well as timber plank floors.
Roman ruins found in the heart of London
Archaeological treasure trove in London
These materials rarely survive the tests of time, leading archaeologists to dub the site the "Pompeii of the north," the Museum of London Archaeology said.
Among the finds is a mysterious leather object depicting a gladiator fighting mythical creatures that may have once adorned a chariot, it said.
"The site is a wonderful slice through the first four centuries of London's existence," said Sophie Jackson of the Museum of London Archaeology.
"The waterlogged conditions left by the Walbrook Stream have given us layer upon layer of Roman timber buildings, fences and yards, all beautifully preserved and containing amazing personal items, clothes and even documents -- all of which will transform our understanding of the people of Roman London."
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The dig is taking place in Bloomberg Place, a three-acre site in the heart of the Roman city of London and home to the Temple of Mithras, built in the 3rd century.
The temple was discovered during building work in 1954 but excavations for the construction of Bloomberg's new European headquarters have revealed new remains.
These include a previously unexcavated section of the temple, as well as rubbish and ritual deposits from the Walbrook, including Roman coins.
Among the haul is what the museum says is the largest group of fist and phallus good luck charms ever recovered from one site.
A hoard of pewter, coins and cow skulls thrown into a Roman well as part of a ritual have also been unearthed, as well as the remains of a complex Roman drainage system used to carry waste from industrial buildings into the Walbrook, one of London's lost rivers, covered over and redirected by centuries of development.
Experts will also examine nearly 700 boxes of pottery pieces, as well as more than 100 fragments of Roman writing tablets recovered from the site.
The current excavations started with the dismantling of a 1960s reconstruction of the Temple of Mithras, a popular visitor attraction when it opened.
At the peak of the dig, more than 60 archaeologists were working at the site.
When work on the new Bloomberg headquarters is completed, the reconstructed Temple of Mithras and finds from the current excavation will be put on public display there.
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A complete amber Gladiator amulet. Seven meters of archeology have been excavated, including remains covering the entire Roman occupation of Britain -- from the mid 40s AD to the early 5th century.
A Roman bull plaque. Ten thousand accessioned finds have been discovered at the site. This is the largest assemblage of small finds to have ever been recovered on a single excavation in London.
A Roman copper-alloy brooch.
A Roman iron knife.
A mystery leather item. This site has supplied the largest quantity of Roman leather to have ever been unearthed in London.
Roman copper-alloy plate brooch with blue enameling.
An inked Roman letter. Over 100 fragments of Roman writing tablets have been unearthed, including an affectionate letter.
A ceramic oil lamp depicting a stag. Approximately 700 boxes of pottery fragments will be analyzed by MOLA -- Museum of London Archaeology -- specialists.
Complete Roman ceramic beaker.
Roman leather carbatina (a shoe.)
Roman fist and phallus. The largest assemblage of fist and phallus good luck charms from one site was discovered.
A bone sword handle.
A Roman woven basket. Some 3,500 tonnes of soil have been excavated by hand. That amounts to 21,000 barrows of spoil (soil).
A Roman tiled floor. Some 75,000 man hours have been spent excavating and recording the extraordinary archeology on site.
Timber foundation beams from a Roman building.
A Roman timber drain. Complex Roman drainage systems used to discharge waste from industrial buildings into the Walbrook River.
Mithras column, part of a previously undiscovered section of the Temple of Mithras. The Temple and finds from the current excavation will become part of a publicly accessible exhibition within Bloomberg's European headquarters.
The first excavation of the Temple of Mithras excavation in 1954 by eminent archaeologist W.F. Grimes. The discovery was perhaps the most famous excavation of the 20th century, with hundreds of thousands of people flocking to see the work unfold.
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