Following Chepstow Archaeological Society’s very successful river dig at the site of the Wye crossing just upstream of the town in August 2023, members have received long awaited results from the scientific dating of the timber slices taken from the structure. 

Chepstow Archaeological Society digging the the crossing site
Chepstow Archaeological Society digging the the crossing site (Supplied)

Thanks to the generosity of the Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association, they were able to get C14 tests on one timber sample which give dates of 1st Century AD. 

“This is excellent news as it clearly shows the structure to be consistent with being Roman, as we thought and expected,” said Simon Maddison of CAS.

Part of the wooden structure
Part of the ancient wooden structure (Supplied)

“These dates are also consistent with the C14 date obtained from timber piles on the other side of the river in 2003 by the Extreme Archaeology TV programme, confirming that the two are part of the same overall construction. 

“Once again thanks to the amazing SARA team, we were able to successfully return to site at the extreme low tide event last Wednesday. In a very tight two-hour window, the team uncovered more than half of the structure and were able to take a series of detailed measurements and photos to record the structure as accurately as possible,” he said.

Chepstow Archaeological Society digging the the crossing site
The team was able to take advantage of the low site to investigate further (Supplied)

“Apart from the very tight timing, conditions were once again very challenging. This time SARA brought the team to site in two boat trips and were also fully engaged in clearing the mud off the timbers until near the time to leave. Pretty much the only way of shifting it was without tools, literally by hand, it being so sticky but we now have an excellent and detailed record of the structure to analyse and draw up in detail.”

Chepstow Archaeological Society digging the the crossing site
The team was able to reveal even more of the historic crossing (Supplied)

Chepstow Archaeological Society is organising an event to present these findings in detail and set them in the context of the Roman occupation and settlement of South Wales. 

The programme consists of a series of presentations on the Wye Crossing, back to Roman times, the detailed findings of the Society’s investigations, and recent Roman finds within both the immediate vicinity and wider landscape. 

Chepstow Archaeological Society digging the the crossing site
More of the structure has been revealed (supplied)

The event will take place on Saturday, October 19, at the Drill Hall in Chepstow, and full details and tickets are available  by visiting www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/chepstows-roman-river-crossing-day-school-tickets951305760137?aff=oddtdtcreator