Cross section of a road in England (A303 road)
by inAncientCivilizations
A stratified cross-section of a highway in the United Kingdom tells a fascinating history of the country. The image, which has been circulating online for several years, shows millennia of material from a Bronze Age trackway to modern asphalt. All the more interesting is the fact that the road represented is the A303, which runs through the Stonehenge World Heritage Site.
Starting with a chalk foundation, the cross-section slowly builds up, creating a visual representation of England's history. Following the Bronze Age, the ancient Romans, whose territory extended throughout England, are represented by a signature stone-paved road. There are then several more layers of rocky materials as we pass from the medieval period to modern times.
A look at these materials is also interesting from an engineering perspective. As technology and transportation evolved, so did the roads that transported people and goods. The cross-section is also a reminder that history is not erased, but often simply buried, and that we are walking on a palimpsest that is waiting to be discovered.
While it's not clear what portion of the A303 this cross-section comes from, and if it's a real specimen or reproduction, we do know that the highway has been in use for thousands of years. One portion of the road even followed the Harrow Way, an ancient trackway that is one of the UK's oldest roads, estimated to be in use from 3,000 BCE. Another area matches the Fosse Way, a Roman road dating back to 49 CE.
Real or representative, this fascinating display of history is an invitation to dig a bit deeper and think about the world right beneath our feet (or wheels).
A cross-section of a British highway is an invitation to think about how civilizations like the Romans constructed their roads.
Interestingly, the display shows the A303, a roadway running past Stonehenge which has been in operation for millennia.
The A303 with Stonehenge in the background. (Photo: Ashley Columbus via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: A Slice of England's Iconic A303 Road Shows How It Changed Over Thousands of Years
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