• • Groundworkers near Evesham found a 2,000-year-old Roman road in England.

• • Archaeologists say it could be the finest Roman example artefact in the country.

• • The road is constructed like a wall with large stones laid in bands, a signature Roman-technique.

Evesham is a market town in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire and is present in the West Midlands region of England. The town lies equidistantly between Stratford-upon-Avon, Worcester, and Cheltenham. Under the aggressive campaign of the Emperor Claudius, Britain came under Roman control in 43 AD. As a result, the Celtic Britains were colonized and subjected to a new way of life. The Romans were well-known for building forts and roads across their territories to aid their armies therefore, it is unsurprising that we still find Roman remnants across the world. From jewelry to villas, weapons to temples, archaeologists keep their eyes open for the next big find. In this case experts claim that the fertile land of Worcestershire was most likely a part of the Roman town Vertis and therefore a good place for such a find. In October 2022, an accidental discovery blew the internet away.

Discovery of the Roman Road On a seemingly ordinary afternoon, workers from the Severn Trent water company uncovered a suspected Roman road in Worcestershire. The owners of the property in turn contacted Wychavon District Council. The discovery quickly received considerable attention over the internet and for good reason. Aiden Smyth, archaeology advisor for Wychavon District Council, did not waste a second. Read More: A Graveyard of our Ancestors – 6000 Years Old Richard Ball, a trustee at the Vale of Evesham Historic Society, shared the enthusiasm. “There are some traces of Roman times in the Vale, but generally, these are few and far between. However, this is by far the most important that has been found for a long time,” shared Ball. Experts believe that the road dates back approximately 2,000 years. However, what makes it unique is that it may be the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom. If that is the case, the surprising find is no less than a ‘world-important’ discovery.

The road is 2.9 meters (9.5ft) wide and has a 10-meter (32-foot) stretch. Interestingly, the road lies close to a Roman villa that was uncovered only four years ago. That gives us all the more reasons to believe that the road might well be a product of the local Roman civilization. Aidan Smyth on The Discovery of the Road Smyth admitted that the discovery took his breath away. However, he is not jumping to conclusions just yet. “At the moment, everything is ticking the boxes for it to be Roman. But, it still feels too good to be true, so we are keeping an open mind,” declared Smyth. Read More: Iron Age Hillfort, Bronze Age Disc Barrow & a Roman Road The archaeologist added, “If it turns out to be medieval, then it could still easily be of national significance. As of right now, nothing similar has been found in Britain.” Smyth would not be wrong because the road’s only known comparisons lie in Rome and Pompeii. The archaeologists agreed that the road was built according to Roman standards and protocol. It is constructed like a wall with large stones laid in bands. Moreover, it is identical to the roads built in Rome and Pompeii, surely no coincidence? All the signs also indicate that horse drawn carts used it for a very long time. Hiding From the Public Eye The exact location of the road is concealed to prevent external disturbance. Experts are currently excavating the vicinity to find out more about the site. Historic England is also onboard, confirming that it will send a team to study the excavations. In any case, confirming the origin is proving to be a difficult job. Traditionally, archaeologists use nearby relics to date a site. However, Wychavon District Council has confirmed that they did not find pieces of pottery or coins at the excavation site. The efforts still continue. A section dug from the road is scheduled to be sent off for optically stimulated luminescence testing. The test will measure the last time the sediment was exposed to sunlight, but the process could take several months. In the meantime, the site may stay concealed to protect it from deterioration. Historic England is updated about the situation after every significant shift in the story. It is expected that they will list the road as an ancient monument. Hence, the road will be protected from future development, a winning result all round.