A woman in England recently made a historical discovery in her own backyard that may be worth up to $20,000!
Over the course of 10 years, the woman used what she believed was an old rock as a stepping stone to mount her horses.
One day, she noticed an intricate wreath carved into it and decided to take it to an archeologist, who confirmed the old rock was in fact an ancient marble artifact worth up to $20,000, according to People Magazine.
The marble slab was discovered about 20 years ago in the southern England village of Whiteparish, according to a press release from Wooley and Wallis, an auction house that is currently selling the historical rock.
The archeologist determined that the rock likely dates back to 2nd century AD, with possible origins from Greece or Asia Minor.
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"Artifacts of this type often came into England as the result of Grand Tours in the late 18th and 19th century, when wealthy aristocrats would tour Europe learning about Classical art and culture,” Woolley and Wallis' Antiquities specialist, Will Hobbs, said.
The specialist noted that it is a “complete mystery” how the slab ended up in the woman’s backyard in the United Kingdom, but he hopes the public may be able to shed some light.
"There are several possibilities of where the stone might have originated," Hobbs said in the release.
"Both Cowesfield House and Broxmore House were very close to Whiteparish and were demolished in 1949 after having been requisitioned by the army during the war."
"But we also know that the house at what is now Paulton’s Park was destroyed by fire in 1963 and so possibly rubble from there was reused at building sites in the area shortly afterwards," he added.
It currently holds a pre-sale estimate value of £10,000-15,000 ($13,564-$20,346) USD.
Per CNN, the slab inscription reportedly reads: "The people [and] the Young Men [honor] Demetrios [son] of Metrodoros [the son] of Leukios."
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