2,000-year-old Roman road discovered in field of primary school in the UK. Take a look
For years, the residents of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell believed an ancient Roman road ran underneath their village.
The village is situated in south-central England, just north of where the Romans landed during the first invasion in 43 A.D., according to English Heritage.
“We’ve always known there is a roman road through the village. It’s believed to be one of the first roads in England from 43 A.D. which is the year the Romans invaded,” chair of the Brightwell Village History group Jason Debney told the Oxford Mail.
Hoping to prove the story, archaeologists with the Wallingford Archaeological and Historical Society, partnered with the Village History Group, began surveying parts of village, Debney said in a June 20 Facebook post.
The surveying began in December, and before long the team reached the field next to the Brightwell cum Sotwell CofE Primary School, Debney said.
A few weeks after the test pit was dug, archaeologists returned and began to pull back the soil to reveal the road underneath.
“Well it is now official. We have always assumed that a Roman road went through the village but now we have proved it!” Debney said in a July 12 Facebook post. “It is right where Mr. Clarke told me it was and that was 40 years ago.”
The road has two levels: one from its original construction in 43 A.D. and another built on top of it, archaeologists told the BBC. Both levels are cobbled, but Roman items were also discovered closer to the surface.
“I’m fairly sure there aren’t too many primary schools that can say they’re built on top of a Roman road,” head teacher Sue Potts said in a July 8 Facebook post. “To top the first day off, two coins and part of what might be a brooch have already been uncovered.”
Archaeologists told the BBC that they are used to working out in empty fields, but here, the children of the school line up against the fence line and watch their work, soaking up the history before them.
“I’ve often found them gathered round the fence having a watch, seeing what’s going on, looking at the artifacts and what’s been dug up or just asking questions,” Potts told the BBC.
The students have also been able to get in on the action.
“This afternoon, each class spent time exploring the digging zone, where they heard more about what had been happening (and why), had a chance to look at some of the fantastic finds uncovered over the last two weeks and, of course, see the Roman road itself,” Potts wrote in a July 19 Facebook post.
“It’s been a fabulous experience and hopefully something everyone will remember for quite some time,” she said.
The items discovered at the site will be analyzed by experts at a later time, archaeologists told the BBC.
Brightwell-cum-Sotwell is in Oxfordshire, about a 50-mile drive west from London.
This story was originally published July 25, 2024 at 11:34 AM with the headline "2,000-year-old Roman road discovered in field of primary school in the UK. Take a look."
