Archaeologists have uncovered a stunning Roman mosaic hidden beneath farmland in the UK.

Made up of thousands of colorful stone cubes arranged in a floral pattern, the fourth-century mosaic was found among the ruins of a Roman villa in Devon, England.

The ruins date back to England’s time as part of the Roman Empire, which spanned from around 43 to 410 A.D.

Researchers also discovered an elaborate bathhouse nearby with multiple plunge pools and painted plaster walls, along with other artifacts.

The discoveries were shared last month after a two-month dig on farmland between the villages of Halberton and Sampford Peverell, led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter and Cotswold Archaeology, according to a press release from Exeter. Volunteers worked alongside experts to uncover the site.

“We knew this villa, and its surrounding working areas, was an important site for understanding the ‘Romanisation’ of Devon,” said project lead Dr Susan Greaney, of the University of Exeter’s Department of Archaeology and History, in a statement.

“We did not expect to find such an elaborate bathhouse, for example. This villa was undoubtedly home to people of wealth and high standing.”

Researchers believe the mosaic covered the floor of one of the villa’s rooms, such as a reception or dining room.

This year’s dig is the first of three annual visits to the site, which was first discovered in 2004 by local metal detectorist John Hill.

“I realised it was something large when I found the first coin in the top corner [of the field] and then went on to see tesserae [cube-shaped stone] lying everywhere,” Hill told the BBC.

“I mentioned to the farmer he might have a Roman building up there and he said to me ‘no, I’ve been ploughing there for years and there’s nothing there’, although he did say it used to jump up and down when he went over it with the rake.”

Other items found at the site include a blue glass ornament that would originally have been set within a ring and used to seal wax documents.

A delicate copper alloy bangle was found sitting on top of the mosaic, and a fine silver-plated spoon was unearthed in one of the villa rooms, researchers say.

“The polychrome mosaic is the most westerly example to have been found in a villa in Roman Britain. This, and the other trappings of Roman civilisation and evidence of affluence that have been found, show how much even this far-flung part of the province had been integrated into the Roman Empire.”

They also discovered numerous pieces of pottery, including a beaker used for serving drinks, an “enormous storage jar” and a natural piece of flint that was likely used as a mixing palette or mortar for paint or cosmetics.

Specialists are now “carefully lifting” the mosaic so that it can be conserved and put on display at Tiverton Museum of Mid-Devon Life alongside the other artifacts that were discovered.

The discovery of a Roman villa of this scale is rare in southwest England, but clues from life in Roman England are often found throughout the country.

In July, a Roman Empire-era “guardian spirit” sculpture was discovered in the English countryside. Last year, archaeologists discovered a massive Roman industrial military site in northern England dated back to between 42 and 238 A.D.