The wooden foundations of an old medieval road have been discovered during work on the sewer network in the town of Lier, in Antwerp Province. News of the archaeological find was given by the mayor of Lier Rik Verwaest (Flemish nationalist) on Wednesday evening. The probable explanation for the exceptional discovery is a layer of clay which has preserved the wood used for the foundations of the road for 6 centuries.
Lier
The wooden foundations of a medieval road discovered in Lier
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The remains of a 15th century road have been discovered between the Leuven Gate and the Town Square. Finding the remains of a Medieval road is much much rarer than finding the remains of a Roman road, despite the latter being much older. This is because of the materials used. “The Romans used stones while in the Middle Ages more porous materials were used,” Mayor Verwaest told VRT News.
The road that has been discovered is concealed under what is a modern-day street. “We already knew that this medieval road existed, thanks to the 16th century maps and paintings on which it appears. But we did not expect to find vestiges of it,” Rik Verwaest said.
The Mayor of Lier went on to say that as the original sewers were laid next to the street and not directly under it, the road was not discovered when this work was carried out in the 1930’s.
Archaeologists will now document the wooden foundations. “The new sewerage system will be installed under the road. These are not valuable objects in themselves and as soon as you start digging them up, they disintegrate,” Mayor Verwaest explained. He is keen to assure us that “everything has been inventorised, measured and photographed”.
It's not the first time that archaeological discoveries have been made in Lier. "During a previous public works project just up the road we found nearly 80 skeletons. It's a common joke in the city: you just have to stick a shovel in the ground in Lier to find something. We have a very rich history. When we start a public works project, I always expect a phone call from the archaeologists", Mr Verwaest told VRT News.