Post by theshee on Mar 18, 2011 1:34:16 GMT 10
The discovery of a metalled and cambered road dated to the first century BC in Shropshire has raised the possibility that iron age Britons were the first to build 'proper' roads.
The long-held belief that the Romans introduced "proper" roads to the UK has been thrown into doubt after the discovery of a thoroughfare engineered by iron age Britons.
Archaeologists working at a quarry in Shropshire have found a metalled and cambered road dated to the first century BC – around 100 years before the Roman invasion.
The discovery seems to show that the iron age Britons were better and more imaginative engineers than they are generally given credit for.
It may also give an insight into the relationship between the tribes that lived in the region, as the road was almost certainly created to take heavy traffic, suggesting a thriving trade route.
The road, which is 1.5 metres high and six metres wide, was unearthed at Bayston Hill quarry, near Shrewsbury, which fittingly is owned by modern-day roadbuilders Tarmac.
It was initially assumed that the metalled road found at the site was built after the invasion, but it did not quite fit in with the known Roman road network.
The road was found to include brushwood, a deep clay foundation and cobbles taken from the river Severn. Archaeologists sent off samples of the brushwood and the sediment found in the road and were hugely excited when the results showed it was built in several phases, the latest of which was the century before the Roman invasion of AD43.
There are other, older-established paths, such as the Jurassic Way that links Oxfordshire and Lincolnshire, but they are not engineered, rather beaten down by use. There is also evidence of hard surfaces being laid within iron age settlements.
But Tim Malim, who directed the archaeological team that worked on the find, said this was believed to be the first British-engineered road in a rural location.
He said: "It's a very exciting discovery – a road like this has never been identified before.
"Obviously major routes were used throughout prehistory and we know where some of these ran, but they were not constructed roads – they were just routes.
"The traditional view currently is that the Romans came over to Britain, built the roads and civilised the people. But we have found that this road was built before the Romans invaded."
So far, 400 metres of road has been found, and ruts in it add to the idea that it could have been a trade route. Malim believes that in the iron age, the route could have connected the Wrekin hill, thought to be the "capital" of the Cornovian tribe, to the Ordovices further west. It could also hint that farm produce was being moved from the Midlands into Wales, with perhaps minerals being transported the other way.
Evidence of animal dung and dung beetles has also been found, indicating that before construction of the road it had been used in more ancient times as a livestock droveway.
The discovery is likely to encourage archaeologists in other parts of Britain to re-examine other roads that have long been thought to be Roman to see if they too may have been built by Britons.
www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/mar/15/britannia-roman-roads-iron-age
The long-held belief that the Romans introduced "proper" roads to the UK has been thrown into doubt after the discovery of a thoroughfare engineered by iron age Britons.
Archaeologists working at a quarry in Shropshire have found a metalled and cambered road dated to the first century BC – around 100 years before the Roman invasion.
The discovery seems to show that the iron age Britons were better and more imaginative engineers than they are generally given credit for.
It may also give an insight into the relationship between the tribes that lived in the region, as the road was almost certainly created to take heavy traffic, suggesting a thriving trade route.
The road, which is 1.5 metres high and six metres wide, was unearthed at Bayston Hill quarry, near Shrewsbury, which fittingly is owned by modern-day roadbuilders Tarmac.
It was initially assumed that the metalled road found at the site was built after the invasion, but it did not quite fit in with the known Roman road network.
The road was found to include brushwood, a deep clay foundation and cobbles taken from the river Severn. Archaeologists sent off samples of the brushwood and the sediment found in the road and were hugely excited when the results showed it was built in several phases, the latest of which was the century before the Roman invasion of AD43.
There are other, older-established paths, such as the Jurassic Way that links Oxfordshire and Lincolnshire, but they are not engineered, rather beaten down by use. There is also evidence of hard surfaces being laid within iron age settlements.
But Tim Malim, who directed the archaeological team that worked on the find, said this was believed to be the first British-engineered road in a rural location.
He said: "It's a very exciting discovery – a road like this has never been identified before.
"Obviously major routes were used throughout prehistory and we know where some of these ran, but they were not constructed roads – they were just routes.
"The traditional view currently is that the Romans came over to Britain, built the roads and civilised the people. But we have found that this road was built before the Romans invaded."
So far, 400 metres of road has been found, and ruts in it add to the idea that it could have been a trade route. Malim believes that in the iron age, the route could have connected the Wrekin hill, thought to be the "capital" of the Cornovian tribe, to the Ordovices further west. It could also hint that farm produce was being moved from the Midlands into Wales, with perhaps minerals being transported the other way.
Evidence of animal dung and dung beetles has also been found, indicating that before construction of the road it had been used in more ancient times as a livestock droveway.
The discovery is likely to encourage archaeologists in other parts of Britain to re-examine other roads that have long been thought to be Roman to see if they too may have been built by Britons.
www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/mar/15/britannia-roman-roads-iron-age
Happy New Years Everybody!!!
