2,000 Year Old Road That Linked England To Wales
Archaeologists uncovered a 2,000-year-old wooden bridge linking England and Wales.
The ancient structure was hidden beneath layers of mud for centuries.
The crossing linked a route between Chepstow to the village of Tutshill in Gloucestershire.
It served as a vital link between these regions for centuries, long before modern transportation networks existed.
Archaeologists made the remarkable find while digging for evidence in the shadow of the 950-year-old Norman castle on a muddy riverside bank.
Due to an ‘extreme low tide event’, they located the well-preserved remnants of what is thought to be a 2,000-year-old Roman built structure, likely a pier.
Chepstow, with its 12th Century AD, Norman castle and rich history, is known for its strategic importance throughout various periods.
During the Roman era, Chepstow was an important settlement known as "Isca Silurum."
The Romans built fortifications in the area, and it served as a key point along their road network.
After the Roman era, the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings left their mark on Chepstow, before being conquered by the Normans in the 11th century.
The construction of Chepstow Castle in the late 11th century by the Norman lord William FitzOsbern marked the beginning of the town's transformation into a strategic stronghold, which it remains even today.
Archaeologists have previously uncovered evidence of prehistoric, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon fortifications within its borders.
However, most recent revelation has taken historians and archaeologists by surprise.
During an extreme low tide event, researchers stumbled upon a remarkably preserved wooden bridge, believed to have been constructed by the Romans around 2000 years ago.
SARA Beachley, a specialist marine and land search rescue service, posted photos of the muddy dig, saying: 'Something different last Friday!
’A small SARA team provided safety cover and other muddy assistance to a group from the Chepstow.
’Archaeological Society, investigating the site of the Roman bridge across the Wye just above Chepstow Castle.
'With amazing results, as these photos show!
'This was our second such outing, and followed a visit in May which was something of a detailed reconnaissance.'
They added: 'Both visits were arranged for the bottom of spring tides, to give the maximum exposure of the area.
'And this meant that both outings provided a lot of good training value for us, with boat handling in shallow and pretty fast moving water as well as operating in the mud, as well as helping with the archaeology.'
Simon Maddison, of the Chepstow Archaeological Society (CAS), told the Daily Mail: 'The team were able to locate upright timbers in a tidal pool on the location of the Roman crossing.
'Until the results come back we won't know for sure the period of the structure.
'We are thrilled with what we were able to achieve and await dating results with keen anticipation.'
Samples were taken from the timbers, which will now undergo carbon dating to determine the bridge's exact age.
Early settlement in Chepstow
The oldest site of known habitation at Chepstow is at Thornwell, where archaeological investigations revealed continuous human occupation from around 5000 BC until the end of the Roman period.
There are also Iron Age fortified camps in the area.
During the Roman occupation, there was a bridge or causeway across the Wye, about 0.6 miles upstream of the later town bridge.
After the Romans left, Chepstow was within the southern part of the Welsh Kingstown of Gwent, known as Gwent Is-coed.
To the north of the modern town centre, a small church was established dedicated to St. Cynfarch, a disciple of St. Dyfrig.
This later became an Augustinian priory on what is now Kingsmark Lane, but no traces of it remain.
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