P5524 Sewer trench, outside 22 Aldwark, York
Item
- Title
- P5524 Sewer trench, outside 22 Aldwark, York
- Description
- It became quickly evident that most of the archaeology within the trench had been removed by the insertion of the original sewer and subsequent repairs to it. However, by good fortune a north-eastward extension of the trench to enable the insertion of concrete support and inspection rings did expose a small, c.2m x 0.7m, area of surviving archaeological stratigraphy, although even here the upper 1.5m had been destroyed by modern activity. The results, however, were most significant. Contexts 1014 and 1016 were both thought to be Roman road surfaces although 1016 had been partially removed by modern intrusions. Inspection of Context 1014 determined that even in the small section available there was a very distinct camber with the central part being up to 0.1m higher than either observed end. One end was completely destroyed by a modern drain and the other end went beyond the south-east limit of the trench, thus it was not possible to gain any reliable estimate for the width of this road. A number of Roman roads have been recorded in the immediate area and examination of the published record (Brinklow et al, 1986, 32-40) made it very clear that the road seen in this trench was a south-westward extension of one seen in the early 1970s during excavations at 21-33 Aldwark with both projected alignment and depth of the road corresponding. It is therefore very likely that this was a brief and tantalising glimpse of a Roman road running outside and roughly parallel to the south-east wall of the Legionary Fortress. Unfortunately safety and operational considerations meant that no detailed work could be done on the surfaces and no dating evidence was recovered. The road was well built, however, and this may well indicate a date in the 2nd or 3rd century which was be broadly consistent with the roads seen at 21-33 Aldwark. The results of this modest watching brief means that a considerable length of extra mural fortress road can now be added to the map of Roman York with confidence and demonstrates the value of undertaking watching briefs.
- Type
- Watching Brief
- Date
- 18 May 2011 – 20 May 2011
- Creator
- York Archaeological Trust
- Contributor
- David Evans (Fieldwork)
- Spatial Coverage
- 22 Aldwark, York
- SE60625209
- Period
- Romano-British
- Post-medieval
Position: 9075 (33 views)