A ROMAN sarcophagus used as a giant plant pot in an Oxfordshire garden is set to fetch £25,000 at auction.

The stone tomb was spotted during a valuation of a house near Witney by Guy Schwinge of Dorset auctioneers Duke’s.

Made from white marble, it depicts two river gods flanked by palm trees and holding horns of plenty while reclining on the back of dolphins.

In the centre is Cupid embracing a mourning figure, who in turn is holding a quiver of arrows.

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Mr Schwinge said: “We can only speculate on how this important Roman artefact ended up in an Oxfordshire garden, but in all probability it was brought back in the 18th century by a gentleman on the Grand Tour.

“It had been used for bedding plants to bring a bit of colour to the garden. It is amazing what can be found unnoticed in gardens around the country.”

The saleroom recently sold two similar sarcophagi. This example is thought to date from the second or third century AD.

Also for sale on Friday is an Anglo Saxon carved stone, also discovered in a garden, with an estimate of £10,000.

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