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Britain's Celtic road builders

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annis
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Britain's Celtic road builders

Post by annis » Fri March 18th, 2011, 3:00 am

Interesting discovery shows that Britan's oldest engineered road was made by the Celts, not the Romans, prompting a bit of a re-think.

Article here:
What did the Romans ever do for us if they didn't build our roads?
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/th ... 8592.html#

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Margaret
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Post by Margaret » Fri March 18th, 2011, 5:46 am

I had been under the impression it was already known that some of the Roman roads in Britain followed older Celtic roads, but maybe that was considered to be just speculation until now. It's interesting to read about the construction techniques. Elder wood is supposed to be quite resistant to decay, isn't it? I know there's a rhyme about the qualities of various kinds of wood as firewood, and elder is supposed to burn "cold." That has stuck in my mind, so I hope it's correct!
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Post by annis » Fri March 18th, 2011, 7:19 am

There are at least two ancient trackways that I know of in Britain which date from the Iron Age and possibly earlier - The Ridgewayand the Icknield Way. I don't think they were engineered as such, though, but just pathways worn into roads by generations of use. This recently excavated road appears to have been a major trade route deliberately constructed as such, 100 years before the Romans moved in, which makes it so interesting. Now archaeologists are looking with a new eye at other roads around the country which have always been assumed to have been Roman in construction.
Last edited by annis on Fri March 18th, 2011, 7:28 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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Margaret
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Post by Margaret » Fri March 18th, 2011, 8:18 pm

The Icknield Way is probably the one I was thinking about. Anne Ross's book The Life and Death of a Druid Prince is a rather speculative, but fascinating, exploration of her theory about Lindow Man, an ancient body found in a bog near a village south of Manchester, England. Her theory that he was sacrificed around the time of the Roman destruction of the druid sanctuary on Anglesey Island and the Boudican Rebellion that followed. It's been some time since I read the book, but my recollection is that her argument includes a mention of an important route connecting Boudica's Iceni tribe (the Icknield Way was probably named for the Iceni) with the western areas of Britain that were not (or not securely) within Roman control. Though the Icknield Way doesn't stretch all the way across Britain, it may be part of a longer route that did.
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Michy
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Post by Michy » Fri March 18th, 2011, 8:22 pm

[quote=""annis""]There are at least two ancient trackways that I know of in Britain which date from the Iron Age and possibly earlier - The Ridgewayand the Icknield Way. I don't think they were engineered as such, though, but just pathways worn into roads by generations of use. [/quote] Isn't Watling Street from pre-Roman times, also?

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Post by SarahWoodbury » Fri March 18th, 2011, 8:45 pm

In Wales, the road that runs from St Asaph across the Conwy to Caerhun and then up through the standing stones of Bwlch y Ddeufaen is far older than the Roman road that was built over the top of it. In Wales, in particular, the Romans built fewer roads so therefore relied more on what was already there.

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Post by annis » Sat March 19th, 2011, 2:29 am

Posted by Michy
Isn't Watling Street from pre-Roman times, also?
True- Watling Street was indeed one of the ancient trackways used by the Britons and was later paved over by the Romans.

It's not clear whether the other major Roman roads, Ermine Street and Foss Way were originally ancient trackways, but it seems likely, at least in the case of Ermine Street.

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Post by Margaret » Sat March 19th, 2011, 4:24 am

Watling Street was really long! Looks like it might have linked up with the Icknield Way - maybe that was what Anne Ross was talking about.
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Post by LoveHistory » Sat March 19th, 2011, 6:40 pm

I'm not surprised. I'm fond of listening to my dad say that the Romans stole every good idea they ever had. :D

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