MUSEUM OF LONDON ARCHAEOLOGY

As the UK’s capital city continues its constant and rapid renewal, each demolition of an old building not only makes way for something new, it offers a window for archaeologists to peer into London’s past. The Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) work side by side with construction teams, unearthing Roman ruins and ancient artefacts under the shadow of cranes and amid the din of diggers.

But finding a piece of the past is just the beginning. At MOLA’s London warehouse, archaeologists clean, prepare, label and study every coin, pottery segment, bone fragment and seed, filling in the picture of London’s nearly 2000-year history, piece by piece.