Two traffic lanes dating from Roman times, a canal more than ten meters wide and a road, were unearthed last week in the east of the Netherlands, Dutch archaeologists announced on Wednesday.
The discovery took place in the town of Oosterhout, near Nijmegen, which was an important city in Roman times, hosting in particular permanent military camps registered since Tuesday as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The uncovered road and canal are around 2,000 years old and were built and used by the Roman army.
It is a discovery "unique" for the east of the Netherlands, enthusiastic in a statement the Dutch archaeological office RAAP.
The city of Nijmegen is located on the banks of the Rhine, which at the time represented the border of the Roman Empire.
A 2,000-year-old road network
Many Roman soldiers were stationed along the river.
The canal probably linked Nijmegen and the Rhine and was used to transport soldiers, supplies and construction materials.
The wide unearthed road, the original gravel coating of which has been preserved, allows us to learn more about the road network of around 2,000 years ago, said Eric Noord to AFP. at the head of the project.
The Limes of Lower Germania, made up of military and civil sites and infrastructures that materialized the border of the Roman Empire, today located in Germany and the Netherlands, were listed on Tuesday as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This discovery could one day be part of this heritage, Eric Noord hoped this Wednesday.
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