This was no ordinary flower pot holding up the tulips in an English garden.

When an antiques expert visited Blenheim Palace in England on official business about a year ago, he happened to notice an ornately carved marble piece that was being used as a planter in one of the estate’s gardens. Something about the carvings was familiar — there was a drunken Dionysus leaning on a satyr, carved lion heads and depictions of Hercules and Ariadne merrymaking at a party.

The flower pot turned out to be part of an ancient Roman sarcophagus.

This week, the palace, a sweeping 18th -century site in Oxfordshire just outside of London, announced that it had removed the sarcophagus piece, restored it and put it on display inside the palace.

“We are hoping it will remain in good condition and survive for many more centuries to come,” said Kate Ballenger, the house manager at Blenheim Palace, in a statement announcing the discovery of the sarcophagus piece.

Blenheim Palace is a World Heritage site that has been the home of the dukes of Marlborough for 300 years. It has a unique historical place in Britain’s history: It was used as a hospital for wounded soldiers during World War I and as a home for evacuees in World War II. Sir Winston Churchill was born at the palace and spent his boyhood there.