One of the most important Roman roads. Archaeologists have made an incredible discovery of a 2000-year-old road under an iconic street in London

Archaeologists have made an incredible discovery under an iconic street in the UK dating back 2000 years. Experts have found one of the most important Roman roads.

A part of the ancient Roman road known as Watling Street was excavated under the modern London Old Kent Road. It is known that the ancient road was paved by the Romans in 43 AD and ran for 444 km from Dover to the West Midlands, DailyMail reports.

According to scientists, this is the first time that researchers have found physical evidence that parts of a Roman road have survived directly under its modern counterpart.

Although Roman roads were usually straight, it has proved extremely difficult to find convincing evidence of Watling Street, which runs through the UK capital, experts say.

The discovery was made during work to expand the heating network in the Southwark district. Under the busy street, workers discovered an unusual area 5.8 meters wide and 1.4 meters high.

Gillian King, director of archaeology at RPS Consulting Ltd, said the discovery of the site "redrew the Roman roadmap" for London. "This is a key find for archaeological research in London," she emphasized.

According to historians, Watling Street was built shortly after the Roman invasion in 43 AD and served as one of the most important highways in Roman Britain. It ran northwest from the important port of Dover to the Roman city of Veroconium and Fort Deva, now Chester.

The road was so important that it was even used by emperors, including Hadrian in 122 AD, when he ordered the construction of Hadrian's Wall to divide England and Scotland, historians say.

According to experts, the excavated section of the Roman road is extremely well preserved for its age. It consists of three separate layers with a base of gravel compacted with two layers of chalk and covered with another layer of compacted gravel and sand.

Archaeologists say that at the level of the current street, there should have been another surface layer consisting of the same material. But over time, it was eroded away.

"It's amazing that this section of the road has existed for almost 2000 years. Over the past few hundred years, there has been so much activity here – from sewers to power cables, tram tracks, and, of course, the construction of a modern road. Therefore, we are very pleased to find such a significant portion of the remaining Roman material," said Dave Taylor, project manager of the London Archaeological Museum.

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