erected by architects Foster and Partners to cover the previously open courtyard of the British Museum. As part of this major building work it was decided that the Hinton St Mary mosaic should be moved. The previously intact mosaic, which was fixed to the museum floor, was levered up and broken into pieces by Museum staff in 1997. Chris Smith, the former Director of ‘Art Pavements’ which moved the mosaic from Dorset, was described as “outraged at what he saw as an act of vandalism and stated that it was completely unnecessary as moving the mosaic was quite feasible without damage.” The pieces are now stored in boxes in the museum vaults with only the central Christian portrait on display in the Gallery. The Association for the Study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics protested at the destruction and decision to only display part of the mosaic. They launched a petition stating that “the mosaic possibly contains the only known representation of Christ in an ancient pavement, it is of unique importance not just in Britain but in the context of the Roman Empire as a whole, and merits being displayed in its entirety. It is insufficient to show the central roundel in isolation, however important. The full meaning of the pavement can be appreciated only if the whole of it is visible, including the accompanying heads and figure scenes”. The Association for the Study and Preservation of Roman Mosaics also produced a factsheet with an explanation of the design of the entire intact mosaic. Renewed excavations from 2021 onwards The British Museum asked Dr Peter Guest of Vianova Archaeology to renew excavations in Hinton St Mary in 2021 and 2022 Dr Guest involved local people extensively in the excavations, and wrote in village magazine The Mosaic that the excavations were "a resounding success." Dr Guest also commented that "we are now thinking about organising a 3rd season next year [2023] to find answers to those questions that still remain about Roman Hinton St Mary and to tie up any final loose ends!" Possible partial return to Dorset On 2 August 2019, Hinton St Mary villagers and the Chair of the Dorset Unitary Authority were told at a closed-door meeting with the British Museum that the mosaic would be partially returned to the Dorset County Museum. However, the head of Christ would not be returned, as the original would be “loaned