MANCHESTER, ENGLAND—According to a BBC report, archaeologists were surprised to find a Roman road just beneath the surface of Manchester's city center. It is remarkable that the 2,000-year-old road is so well-preserved, given that it lies only 15 inches beneath the busy modern Liverpool Street in the city’s Castlefield section. The site is near to the Roman fort of Mamucium, which was established around a.d. 78 and from which the modern city takes its name. Experts believe it may have been the main northern exit route away from the Roman settlement. The team uncovered a number of Romano-British artifacts dating to between the first and third century a.d., including pottery and glassware, that provided a timeframe for the road’s use. “It's certainly the best Roman archaeology I've seen in the city center for 20 years and probably more than that,” said Ian Miller from the Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service. To read about Roman settlements unearthed during construction of Cambridgeshire's A14 roadway, go to "Letter from England: Building a Road Through History."
