My team's total guess about a Roman drain pipe turned out to be right

We were digging a site near Chester last fall and hit a line of small, round stones. The lead archaeologist was sure it was just a collapsed garden wall. I joked it looked like a pipe, so we spent a day carefully digging a small trench along it. Sure enough, it was a perfectly intact clay drain from the 2nd century, still sloped for water flow. Has anyone else had a silly hunch pay off like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.riley7d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, those random guesses are the best. I read a paper about how a lot of big finds start with someone ignoring the expert, just like you and @lee72.

the_thomas6d ago

Totally agree about ignoring the "just a flint" thing. My rule is if it feels wrong, it probably is. That weird sound, the wrong color, even the way dirt falls off it. I had a "big flint" that was actually a smashed quern stone. Clean your finds gently with water and a soft brush, never metal. Lets you see the real surface.

lee727d ago

Found a weird lump in a field in Suffolk last year. Everyone said it was just a big flint. I poked it with a trowel and it was a bronze age pot, upside down. Still had cremation ash inside. Those random guesses are the best feeling.