What type of Roman artefact found in Hampshire faces an export ban?

Contractors clearing ground for a housing estate near Andover, England, uncovered a 14‑metre Roman mosaic floor in January, its red‑and‑white pelta shields virtually intact. A private buyer quickly applied to ship the panels to Monaco, but in March the UK government imposed an export bar until January 2026, giving museums time to raise the £550 000 valuation. The Portable Antiquities Scheme has launched crowdfunding, while Hampshire Cultural Trust proposes a gallery where residents could watch conservators stabilise the tesserae live. Archaeologists argue the piece plugs a regional gap in late‑Roman art, and planners tout heritage tourism as an offset for lost housing revenue. If funding fails, the mosaic may still leave the country—reviving debates over commercial digs on historic land.