A team of archaeologists documented the existence of a road about 1,200 meters long from ancient Roman times. The street is hidden behind the beach, submerged in the Venetian Lagoon, the largest lagoon in the Mediterranean Sea, which surrounds the historic city of Venice in Italy.
The existence of this road confirms the hypothesis of a stable Roman settlement system in the area. Dr. Fantina Madricardo of the CNR National Research Council at the ISMAR Institute of Marine Sciences says the Romans built a highly efficient road system, stretching tens of thousands of kilometers to connect all their territories.
"Some parts of this ancient road network are still well-preserved after more than two millennia in many archaeological sites in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa," he was quoted as saying by Sci-News, Tuesday (27/7/2021).
Their transportation system, however, is not limited to land routes. As imperial dominance of territory extended to transitional environments such as deltas, swamps, and lagoons, even a capillary network of waterways was used for the exchange of goods and transportation, for the movement of people.
“We know that in Roman times, the average sea level was relatively lower than it is now, and most of the lagoons, which are now submerged, were accessible by land,” Madricardo said.
"The fate of the Venetian Lagoon, its origin and geological evolution has always been closely linked to the relative average rise in sea level, which now threatens the very existence of the historic city and the lagoon island itself."
Ancient Rome Photo: Sci-News
By mapping the bottom of the Venetian lagoon using sonar, Dr. Madricardo and his team discovered 12 archaeological structures parallel to the northeast 1,140 m, in an area known as the Treporti Channel. The structure reaches a height of 2.7 m and a length of 52.7 m.
Previous surveys from the Treporti Channel found stones similar to the alley stones used by the Romans during road construction. This suggests that its structure may be similar to the Roman -era road found.
Archaeologists also found four additional structures in the Treporti Strait that are up to 4 m high and 134.8 m long. Based on its dimensions and similarities to structures found in other areas, this largest structure is considered to be a port structure such as a pier.
Geological data and modeling previously collected show the road is located in a sandy ravine that was above sea level during the Roman era but is now submerged in a lagoon.
The results suggest that permanent settlements may have existed in the Treporti Channel during the Roman era.
"The road may have been connected to the wider Roman road network in Italy's Veneto Region and may have been used by tourists and sailors to travel between what is now the city of Chioggia and the North Venetian Lagoon," the researchers said.
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