While preparing land for a new building extension at the Rolls-Royce factory at Goodwood, experts from Oxford Archaeology found some 2000-year-old recycling done by the Romans.
The Roman well they found was built from recycled wood, which shows that the Romans were reusing materials a long time before recycling became such a big thing.
A Recycled Roman Well
While working at Rolls-Royce, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a wooden well that once stood about seven layers high and was made from 28 pieces of timber. What makes this so interesting though, is that some of the wood had been used before.
The wood showed signs of old joints called mortices and tenons. This suggests that it may have come from old buildings before being reused to build the well.
Recycling Roman Style
We often think recycling is a modern idea, but this discovery proves otherwise. The Romans were already reusing materials, reshaping wood for new purposes, and building sustainably without even knowing how important that would be in the future.
Similar reused wood has also been found in ancient Roman cities like York, Carlisle, and London.
A Place Full of History
The site where Rolls-Royce is now based, in Chichester, has been used for different purposes over the last six thousand years. Long before Rolls-Royce arrived, this area was home to Neolithic people (Stone Age), before later becoming part of a Roman town called Noviomagus Reginorum, which means “new market of the Regni tribe”
What Happens Now?
Scientists are now studying the wood in more detail using a method called tree-ring dating, or dendrochronology. By counting the rings inside the timber, they can work out when the trees were cut down, learn about ancient forests, and discover what tools were used.
Future Community Display
The artefacts won’t stay hidden away either. They’ll eventually be displayed at the Novium Museum in Chichester, so everyone can see these incredible pieces of the past.
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