KENT, ENGLAND—The Guardian reports that a kayaker paddling off the coast of southeast England spotted an intact piece of Roman cobalt-blue glassware, pottery fragments, and a terracotta roof tile in clear, shallow water during low tide. Mark Dunkley of Historic England said such materials are unknown in Britain’s waters. The artifacts could point to a Roman shipwreck, he explained, or a land site that is now underwater because of coastal erosion. The objects could even have been deposited as a votive offering to the gods as a request for safe passage. Dunkley also noted that Roman troops led by Julius Caesar landed in the region and built forts nearby in 54 B.C. “This potential Roman site sits on the southern end of the Wantsum Channel [which the Romans used to connect the English Channel with the Thames estuary] and the material is dated to at least the late first or early second century A.D.,” Dunkley said. “That ties with the development of [the fort at] Richborough as the gateway to Roman Britain.” When the tides allow, archaeologists will return to the site for further investigation. For more on archaeology in England, go to "A Dark Age Beacon."
