Ancient Roman highway unearthed
By IANSSunday, February 6, 2011
LONDON - A highway Roman invaders built has been uncovered in Britain — some 2,000 years later.
The road linked London and Exeter in Britain. But when the Romans left Britain, nature reclaimed the highway.
Now it has been unearthed in the forest depths of Dorset — free of the potholes that blight modern roads, the Daily Mail reported.
Constructed by Roman invaders, the 85 ft wide earthwork stands more than 15 ft high and consists of a sweeping road with deep ditches at the side.
It was so densely covered by trees that although its existence was known about, it could not be found until now.
One of the country’s first roads, it was uncovered when the Forestry Commission, acting at the behest of English Heritage expert Peter Addison, cleared the Norway spruce fir trees in Puddletown Forest.
Addison said it was the biggest Roman road he had come across and that it was probably designed to make a statement.
It is thought that it might have been built shortly after the Roman conquest in the 1st century. Its scale may have been chosen to intimidate people living nearby.
