British researchers have uncovered the remains of a 2,000 year-old Roman theater in the back yard of an archeology school.

Dr. Paul Wilkinson, founder of the Kent Archaeological Field School, says that the latest discovery is the first of its kind to be found in the UK, according to Daily Mail.

The ancient theater, complete with a nearly circular cockpit-style orchestra, would have been able to seat 12,000 people.

Amazingly, it was discovered in Faversham, Kent, nestled just behind Wilkinson's back yard where his school is located.

Experts say that the Roman theater, which dates back to the Bronze Age, was likely to have been used for religious purposes.

Wilkinson wants to preserve the rare discovery for future generation and has sent an application to the UK government to have the site established as an ancient monument site.

"It really is an amazing find, the first one in Britain, and it is just beyond my garden. This is a unique and wonderful discovery, not only for Faversham but for all of Britain," he said, according to Daily Mail.

"The theater could have held 12,000 people and we are going to request for it to become an ancient monument site because it is so important and we can preserve it for future generations," Wilkinson explained. "It would have been a religious sanctuary for the Romans. They would have held religious festivals there. It is called a cockpit theater."

So far, only 150 of these ancient Roman theaters have been discovered in northern Europe, and before the recent discovery, none were found in Britain.

Wilkinson believes that the newly discovered site is the only known example in the UK of a Roman rural religious sanctuary. He said that two temple enclosures and a sacred spring were also found close to the site.

"If the full analysis of the results does confirm that the site on the outskirts of Faversham is a Roman rural theatre, it would be a most remarkable find," English Heritage spokesman Debbie Hickman said, according to Daily Mail.

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