Archaeologists uncover remains of Roman bridge in Switzerland

Archaeologists find the remains of a Roman bridge near Aegerten BE Keystone-SDA

Archaeologists have discovered the remains of a 2000-year-old Roman bridge on a construction site in Aegerten in canton Bern. More than 300 oak piles, which have been preserved in the groundwater, came to light during the construction work.

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The employees of the Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern took samples from the piles and examined them in the laboratory, as the canton announced on Wednesday.

In the former riverbed, the archaeologists also found numerous objects that had been thrown into the river from the bridge or had been lost. These include shoe nails, axes, a fishing trident, keys and coins. According to the canton, the finds could provide valuable insights into everyday life in Roman times.

Particularly noteworthy is a well-preserved large plane made of wood and iron, which has been exceptionally preserved thanks to storage in the oxygen-poor damp soil.

From 40 BC

Tree-ring analyses have shown that the bridge bays were repeatedly repaired or rebuilt. According to current measurements, the earliest construction was built around 40 BC, shortly after the Roman conquest of Celtic Helvetia. The most recent parts date from 369 AD. The bridge was therefore used for more than 400 years.

The bridge stood at the gates of the small town of Petinesca near present-day Studen in canton Bern, an important crossroads of waterways and country roads. The newly discovered bridge crossed the Zihl and was part of the Roman Jura transversal, which connected important towns at the time.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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