Sweet Track
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sweet Track | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type: | causeway |
| Country: | England |
| County: | Somerset |
| Nearest Town: | Street |
| Nearest Village: | Westhay |
| OS grid reference: | ST424408 |
| Coordinates: | |
| Condition (out of 5): | 3 |
| Access (out of 5): | 4 |
| References: | Megalithic Portal |
The Sweet Track, an ancient causeway in the Somerset Levels, England, is one of the oldest engineered roads discovered and the oldest timber trackway discovered in Northern Europe. Built in 3807 BC or 3806 BC, tree-ring dating (Dendrochronology) enabled very precise dating.[1] It has been claimed to be the oldest road in the world. [2]
The track was discovered in the course of peat digging in 1970, and is named after its discoverer, Ray Sweet.[3] It extended across the marsh between what was then an island at Westhay, and a ridge of high ground at Shapwick, a distance close to 2,000 metres (about 1.24 miles.) The track is one of a network of tracks that once crossed the Levels.
Built in 39th century BC,[2] during the Neolithic period, the track consisted of crossed poles of ash, oak and lime (Tilia) which were driven into the waterlogged soil to support a walkway that mainly consisted of oak planks laid end-to-end.
Due to the wetland setting, the components must also have been prefabricated.
Most of the Track remains in its original location, and several hundred metres of it are now actively conserved using a pumped water distribution system. Portions are stored at the British Museum, London, while a reconstruction can be seen at the Peat Moors Centre near Glastonbury.
Since the discovery of the Sweet Track, it has been determined that the track was actually built along the route of an even earlier abandoned track, the Post Track, dating from 3838 BC and so 32 years older[4].
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- grid reference ST4240
- Somerset County Council - Peat Moors Centre
- Extract from Wetland Archaeology with photos
[edit] References
- ^ The day the Sweet Track was built. New Scientist, 16 June 1990. Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
- ^ a b [Archive copy at the Internet Archive Special issue on Wetlands / The Somerset Levels] (Web). Current Archaeology 172. Current Archaeology (February 2001). Retrieved on 2007-10-26.
- ^ Williams, Robin; Romey Williams (1992). The Somerset Levels. Bradford on Avon: Ex Libris Press. ISBN 0948578386.
- ^ Hill-Cottingham, Pat; Briggs, D., Brunning, R., King, A. & Rix, G (2006). The Somerset Wetlands. Somerset Books. ISBN 0-86183-432-1.
