Archaeologists are really digging Crossrail: the London railway has unexpectedly turned into Britain's largest archaeological project. During its six-year tunnelling through the city centre – something archaeologists have never been allowed to do – more than 10,000 artefacts have been discovered across some 30 sites. And it's going to take at least another five years to complete.
"It was pretty clear from the route that there was going to be some really good archaeology," explains lead archaeologist Jay Carver. "It's an ideal cross section across London." Digs have revealed evidence of early humans dating back to 7000 BCE. Roman hairpins were found in Moorgate, and a Tudor bowling ball, made of South American wood, turned up at the site of a medieval manor in Stepney Green. It's unearthed a few mysteries, too. For example, a curiously large number of rare Roman horseshoes have been found within a relatively small area, to the northern part of Roman Londinium.
"It could be something associated with the military," speculates Carver. Elsewhere, a dig in east London revealed the Thames Ironworks shipyard. "London's shipbuilding history is almost totally unreported in archaeology prior to Crossrail happening," says Carver. His goal: to recreate a large slipway as part of a future museum exhibit. "We kept some of the timbers back for that very reason."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
