London ( CNN ) -- A Roman sculpture of an eagle with a writhing serpent firmly gripped in its hooked beak was unveiled Wednesday in London , where archaeologists found it on a site earmarked for a hotel development . Archaeologists in London say the statue is one of the very best examples surviving from Roman Britain . `` The skill of the craftsman is apparent ; with the forked tongue of the snake and the individual feathers of the eagle still clearly discernible , '' a news release from Museum of London Archaeology said . The archaeologists were `` at first hesitant to announce the discovery and to proclaim its Roman origins , owing to its almost unbelievable preservation , '' it said . But the limestone statue , which stands nearly 26 inches tall , has now been dated by experts to the first or second century . It was dug up at a site in the City of London , the UK capital 's financial center , which is known once to have been home to a Roman cemetery . According to the museum , the symbolism of the statue can be understood `` as the struggle of good , the eagle , against evil , the snake , '' a common theme in relation to funeral sites . Archaeologists believe the sculpture may once have sat in an alcove on a fancy mausoleum whose foundations were also uncovered in the dig . The statue will be on display at the Museum of London for the next six months . A number of discoveries highlighting London 's Roman past have been made in recent months in connection with major construction projects . They include about 20 Roman-era skulls found beneath London 's Liverpool Street station by workers digging a new rail tunnel . Read more : London dig turns up slice of Roman life . Read more : Rail excavation unearths suspected 'plague pit '
Archaeologists says the statue is in an `` almost unbelievable '' state of preservation . The statue was found by a team from the University of Leicester and has been on display at the museum since it arrived last year. The limestone statue may once have graced a mausoleum , archaeologists say . It 's been dated by experts to the first or second century .