The famous Roman mosaic showing a leopard attacking an antelope was purchased for £150,000. The facility was discovered in 1974 in Dorset, southern England, and dates back to the 4th century CE.
The government deliberately blocked foreign purchases of the facility so that the Dorset County Museum had time to raise funds. In total, the museum was supported by one hundred donations.
The mosaic measures 2 by 2.4 m; it adorned the floor in one of the rooms of a Roman villa near Dorchester. The museum plans to place the purchased mosaic in a new gallery that will reopen at the end of the year.
