21 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A cobbled ford uncovered near Evesham could be the finest Roman example of its type in Britain

A cobbled ford believed to be of Roman construction has been discovered near Evesham in Worcestershire, England.

If the path is confirmed to be Roman, it will be the only of its kind in Britain. To protect the site, the exact location of the discovery is being kept under wraps. But a Roman-era villa complex across the river from the ford was discovered four years ago. The precision stonework is also reminiscent of Roman road-building abilities.

The 10m-stretch (32.8 feet), believed to extend to a depth of 3m (9.8 feet), was discovered during routine waterworks. Ruts in the stones indicate it was used by carts for a long time.

Wychavon District Council archaeology officer Aidan Smyth said the discovery “took his breath away.” If proven to be from the first century AD, it would be “beyond rare,” he added.

“The stonework is absolutely perfect,” he said. “It just ticks every box for being Roman,” Aidan Smyth said.

“When I came down to look at it, honestly, I thought it’s too good to be true.

“But then you look at the alluvium [a deposit of silt] that it’s filled up, so that hasn’t happened in one or two centuries. That’s taken millennia to be able to get that deep.

“The only place I can see similar when I was doing some research is in Pompeii. I can’t find anything else anywhere like that.”

The council will bring in an archaeologist team from Historic England to conduct a test excavation at the ford to date it and confirm that it was built by the Romans. 

Worcester was possibly the site of the Roman town of Vertis, with evidence of early military occupation.

The first Roman military expeditions to Britain were led by Julius Caesar in 55 and 54BC, but a full-scale invasion did not occur until AD43, under Emperor Claudius. Obviously, the county of Worcestershire did not exist then, but it is thought that the area fell largely within the territory of the Iron-Age Dobunni tribe and it was through this territory that the Roman army passed in the 40s and 50s AD as it pushed west to reach the River Severn on its way to Wales. The native population had to adjust to a new way of life. Roman conquest relied on building roads and forts.

Related Articles

A Roman Sanctuary with Inscriptions Discovered in Cova de les Dones, One of the Largest Rock Art Sites in the Iberian Peninsula

31 January 2025

31 January 2025

A team of researchers from the universities of Alicante (UA) and Zaragoza (Unizar) have discovered a Roman temple at Cova...

Receding waters in Lake Van reveal rock-cut Urartian port

22 September 2022

22 September 2022

Located in the eastern province of Van in Turkey, the falling water level of Lake Van, with the decrease in...

Maya Farmers May Have Planned Population Growth Contrary to Thought

19 November 2021

19 November 2021

Contrary to what was thought, Maya farmers may have planned for population growth, says a new study. According to a...

3600 years old Unique ancient drinking bowls on display at Boğazkale Museum

15 August 2021

15 August 2021

The 3,600-year-old fist-shaped drinking bowls found in excavations in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Civilization, which shaped the Anatolian...

One-of-a-kind 1000- years-old gold earring found in Denmark

13 December 2021

13 December 2021

A metal detectorist in Denmark uncovered a one-of-a-kind piece of 11th-century gold jewelry that had never been seen in Scandinavia...

Temple of Zeus Lepsynos in Turkey regains its glory

9 May 2022

9 May 2022

The temple of Zeus in the ancient city of Euromos in southwestern Turkey regains its original splendor with the revitalization...

Naked Venus statue discovered in a Roman garbage dump in France

29 March 2023

29 March 2023

Archaeologists from the French National Institute for Preventative Archaeological Research (Inrap) has been uncovered a trove of artifacts, including two...

An Elamite clay tablet has been discovered in Burnt City

6 January 2022

6 January 2022

An Elamite clay tablet was discovered within the Burnt City by a team of Iranian, Italian, and Serbian archeologists. Called...

A burial complex and an Ancient Dog Statue have been unearthed during excavations in Appio Latino quarter the Rome

8 January 2022

8 January 2022

Workers laying pipes for utility company Acea at Via Luigi Tosti in Rome’s Appio Latino quarter have unearthed an ancient...

A 3200-year-old trepanned skull discovered in eastern Turkey’s Van province

12 November 2022

12 November 2022

A 3200-year-old trepanned skull was discovered in eastern Turkey’s Van province. In the prehistoric era, Anatolia served as a transitional...

Researchers discover America’s oldest mine

23 May 2022

23 May 2022

Archaeological digs headed by Wyoming’s state archaeologist and including University of Wyoming experts have revealed that people began producing red...

Ancient fish processing factories were discovered in ancient Roman city of Balsa, Portugal

18 July 2022

18 July 2022

In the Roman city of Balsa, one of the most important and symbolic archaeological sites in southern Portugal, archaeologists have...

2000-year-old dagger reveals the site of a long-forgotten battle between the Roman Empire and tribal warriors

16 December 2023

16 December 2023

In Switzerland, a volunteer archaeologist and dental student Lucas Schmid discovered in 2019 a 2000-year-old silver and brass dagger. It...

Vase for holy oil used by ‘hidden Christians’ in Japan

24 May 2023

24 May 2023

After the family that had passed it down through the generations permitted the artifact to be examined, a relic from...

Ancient necropolis of stillborn babies and very young children found in Auxerre, France

8 June 2024

8 June 2024

A team from INRAP, France’s national archaeology and preservation agency, unearthed a necropolis dedicated to stillborn and very young children...